WALES

Income Tax

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales 
	(1)  if she will estimate the number of taxpayers in each (a) region and (b) local authority area in Wales who will no longer be eligible to pay income tax following the increase in the personal allowance in April 2012;
	(2)  if she will estimate the number of taxpayers in each (a) region and (b) local authority area in Wales who will no longer be eligible to pay income once the income tax threshold is changed;
	(3)  if she will estimate the number of taxpayers in Wales who benefited from the increase in the personal allowance of income tax in 2011-12; and if she will estimate the likely number of taxpayers in Wales who will benefit from such an increase in 2012-13.

David Jones: The June 2010 Budget announced a £1,000 cash increase in the personal allowance for under 65s to £7,475 in 2011-12 with the benefits focused on individuals on low and middle incomes through accompanying changes to the basic rate limit and national insurance upper earnings and profit limits.
	As a result of these measures, the Government estimate that 1.07 million basic rate taxpayers in Wales benefited in 2011-12, with 41,000 of the lowest income taxpayers in Wales removed from income tax altogether.
	The 2011 Budget announced a £630 cash increase in the personal allowance for under 65s to £8,105 in 2012-13, with an equivalent reduction in the basic rate limit to leave the higher rate threshold unchanged.
	As a result of these measures, the Government estimate that 1.13 million basic rate taxpayers in Wales will benefit in 2012-13, of which 10,000 of the lowest income taxpayers in Wales will be removed from income tax altogether.
	Reliable estimates are not available at the local authority level.

Remploy

Hywel Francis: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions she has recently had with (a) the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and (b) the First Minister of the Welsh Government on measuring the effects of the decisions regarding the future of Remploy in Wales; and if she will make a statement.

David Jones: The Secretary of State for Wales, my right hon. Friend the Member for Chesham and Amersham (Mrs Gillan) and I have discussed the future of Remploy factories in Wales with both Welsh Government Ministers and ministerial colleagues at the Department for Work and Pensions as the lead Department, particularly in light of the Sayce review recommendations last July.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Employment

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what specific recommendations he has made to the Chancellor of the Exchequer about measures to support jobs and growth in Northern Ireland in Budget 2012; and if he will make a statement.

Hugo Swire: It has been the practice of successive Governments to keep Budget discussions confidential.

Unemployment: Females

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on measures to tackle the level of female unemployment in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement.

Hugo Swire: The Department for Finance and Personnel's Monthly Labour Market Report for March 2012 reports that the number of women in employment in Northern Ireland has increased by 4.5% over the year.
	While these are primarily devolved matters for Ministers in the Northern Ireland Executive to take forward, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, my right hon. Friend the Member for North Shropshire (Mr Paterson), and I have regular discussions with Treasury and Executive ministers on matters relating to unemployment and promoting jobs and growth in Northern Ireland.
	Our proposals in respect of universal credit in Great Britain which I expect will largely be reflected in the Welfare Reform Bill which the Minister for Social Development will introduce shortly into the Northern Ireland Assembly, will significantly assist women in part-time work. The reforms will ensure that women keep more of the money they earn than currently is provided for under the social security system.

Welfare State

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what discussions he has had with the voluntary and community sector in Northern Ireland about welfare reform; and if he will make a statement.

Hugo Swire: The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, my right hon. Friend the Member for North Shropshire (Mr Paterson), has discussed the nature and the benefits of welfare reform with a number of interested bodies and people in the course of his regular meetings.
	He has also attended, and on occasion encouraged the organisation of, meetings specifically on welfare reform issues. For example, on 27 February he gave a speech on welfare reform and sat on a panel at the Politics Society of Queen's University, Belfast. On 29 February he spoke again about welfare reform at an event in Church House, Belfast organised by the Northern Ireland church leaders following a meeting he had with them. Travel difficulties on 6 March prevented him attending a panel discussion at a conference organised by the Northern Ireland Council for Voluntary Action which brought together among others representatives from the voluntary and community sector, but the office was represented and he received reports.

SCOTLAND

Income Tax: Tax Rates and Bands

Robert Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what estimate he has made of how many taxpayers in each local authority area in Scotland will no longer be eligible to pay income tax once the income tax threshold is set at £10,000.

David Mundell: The Government are committed to supporting lower and middle income earners by raising the personal allowance to £10,000, and removing the lowest income individuals out of income tax. Decisions on future changes in the personal allowance will be taken as part of the annual Budget process in the context of the wider public finances. It should be noted that reliable estimates are not available at the local authority level due to greater uncertainties in projections for small geographical areas and small sample sizes.

Income Tax: Tax Rates and Bands

Robert Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what estimate he has made of how many taxpayers in each local authority area in Scotland will no longer be eligible to pay income tax following the increase in the personal allowance in April 2012.

David Mundell: The 2011 Budget announced a £630 cash increase in the personal allowance for under 65s to £8,105 in 2012-13 (£240 above indexation), with an equivalent reduction in the basic rate limit to leave the higher rate threshold unchanged.
	Reliable estimates are not available at the local authority level, due to greater uncertainties in projections for small geographical areas and small sample sizes. However, estimates are available at Government office region which show that 2.19 million taxpayers in Scotland will benefit from these measures in 2012-13, among which 21,000 of the lowest income taxpayers will be removed from tax altogether.

Scottish Parliament: Elections

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many ratepayers in Scotland are not eligible to vote in Scottish Parliamentary elections.

David Mundell: There is no connection between council tax payment and entitlement to register to vote in elections and therefore information on council tax payers who are not on the electoral register is not available.

DEFENCE

Afghanistan

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on how many occasions armed forces personnel have purchased a commercial ticket to travel to Afghanistan since May 2010.

Nick Harvey: holding answer 19 March 2012
	Afghanistan is a high-threat environment and there remains the potential for any aircraft to be attacked from the ground. To ensure the safety of our personnel we therefore have force protection measures in place, which include mandating travel into theatre on military aircraft equipped with a Defensive Aids Suite. This applies to all of the 9,500 armed forces personnel deployed to Afghanistan. Ministers have only approved one waiver to this policy when a senior British officer in Afghanistan needed to travel at short notice for consultations at NATO Headquarters in Brussels and military transport was impracticable. Personnel are not expected or permitted to make personal arrangements to travel by commercial air to theatre.

Afghanistan: Military Aid

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Afghan (a) police and (b) soldiers remain to be trained by NATO forces.

Nick Harvey: The NATO Training Mission—Afghanistan (NTM-A)—supports the International Security Assistance Force to ensure that the Afghan National Security Forces will be capable of providing security across Afghanistan by the end of 2014. The most recent figures from the NTM-A show that there are currently 145,000 in the Afghan National Police and 184,000 in the Afghan National Army. Both are on track to reach their October 2012 "surge" targets of 157,000 and 195,000 respectively.
	In order to maintain these force levels the NTM-A will continue to train members of the Afghan National Security Forces beyond October 2012.

Afghanistan: Military Aid

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the likely outcomes of Afghan soldiers and police replacing UK forces in patrols with back-up by UK forces.

Nick Harvey: In accordance with the transition process, agreed at the Lisbon summit, the NATO Training Mission—Afghanistan (NTM-A)—is providing training to the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) to ensure that they are ready to assume full security responsibility across the country by the end of 2014. This process is on track and achievable.
	We expect the ANSF to reach their approved strength of 352,000 by 31 October 2012. Real progress has been made by the UK and international forces since the NTM-A was established in 2009 in building the capability and capacity of the ANSF. With the second of five transition tranches now implemented, roughly half of the population already live in areas where the Afghans have lead security responsibility.

Canada

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  whether the Canadian government has asked for compensation with regard to the submarines purchased in 1998;
	(2)  whether the Canadian armed forces has asked for assistance with regard to submarines purchased in 1998.

Peter Luff: The records providing detailed background to this topic are stored in archives and need to be retrieved in order to provide a full answer to the hon. Member. I will write to the hon. Member in due course.

Departmental Staff

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many staff in his Department work for the Defence Disposals Services Agency; and how many such staff left as part of the early release or early retirement schemes in each of the last three years;
	(2)  how many consultants work at the Defence Disposals Services Agency under the Framework Agreement for Technical Support; and what proportion of these previously worked as staff of his Department or members of the armed forces.

Peter Luff: holding answer 19 March 2012
	The number of staff employed by the Disposal Services Authority (DSA) and the number of staff that have left the DSA under Ministry of Defence Early Release Schemes in each of the last three full calendar years is contained in the following table:
	
		
			 As at 1 April 2012 Number of military and civilian staff Number of civilian staff released (1,2) 
			 2009 108 10 
			 2010 94 0 
			 2011 73 5 
			 (1) No military staff have been released. (2) Between 1 January and 31 March 2012 a further six civilian staff will have left. 
		
	
	An occasion has not yet arisen that has required DSA to procure external technical support. Therefore the Framework Agreement for Technical Support (FATS) has not been used for DSA purposes.

McKinsey and Company

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department paid to McKinsey and Company in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12; and if he will make a statement.

Peter Luff: No payments have been made to McKinsey and Company, either in 2010-11 or in 2011-12 to date.

Nuclear Weapons: Safety

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what consideration was given by his Department's Defence Nuclear Safety Regulator, Technical Advisory Panel and Defence Nuclear, Environment and Safety Board to the nuclear safety recommendations made by the Office for Nuclear Regulation report on the implications for the UK of the accident at the Fukushima nuclear plant in March 2011; what costs have been incurred to date on any remedial action taken; and what consideration has been given by his Department to conducting stress tests on military nuclear facilities such as those undertaken by civilian nuclear operators.

Peter Luff: The Defence Nuclear Safety Regulator continues to work closely with the Office for Nuclear Regulation on the implications of the Fukushima accident and is aware of their recommendations published in September 2011. No costs have been incurred on remedial action. On the matter of stress tests, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 2 November 2011, Official Report, column 661W, to the hon. Member for Moray (Angus Robertson).
	The Defence Nuclear Environment and Safety Board has been superseded by different structures resulting from the formation in February 2012 of the Defence Safety and Environment Authority of which the Defence Nuclear Safety Regulator is part.

Remploy

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether his Department has procured any goods from Remploy factories; and what the value of such procurement was.

Peter Luff: Since May 2010, the Ministry of Defence has placed three contracts with Remploy valued at a potential total of just over £600,000 for clothing, personal protective equipment and weapon racking.
	Additionally, contractual payments of approximately £400,000 have been made to Remploy for a number of miscellaneous services, including the provision of vocational assessments of wounded, injured and sick service personnel as part of their individual recovery plans.

Remploy

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions his Department has had with Remploy on the procurement of goods.

Peter Luff: The Ministry of Defence routinely holds discussions with suppliers about ongoing and potential procurements. I personally met with representatives of Remploy on 15 November 2011 and discussed a number of possible business opportunities for the company.

Type 26 Frigates

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he plans to incorporate the sea viper missile system and the SAMPSON multi-function air tracking radar into the Type 26 global combat ships.

Peter Luff: holding answer 19 March 2012
	The T26 GCS programme is in its assessment phase and no decisions about which equipments will be fitted to the ships will be finalised until the completion of this phase when the main investment decision takes place. This is currently scheduled for the middle of the decade.

Unmanned Air Vehicles

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the Watchkeeper Unmanned Aircraft System will achieve its release to service; and what its in-service date is.

Peter Luff: Watchkeeper will be the first Unmanned Air System to secure all the necessary airworthiness certification to fly in both a civil and a military environment and this process is taking longer than anticipated. Work continues and, until this is complete, it would be speculative to provide a forecast as to when Watchkeeper will achieve release to service or its in-service date.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Devolution

Stephen Metcalfe: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when he expects the Commission on the consequences of devolution for the House of Commons to report.

Mark Harper: The Commission is due to report during the next parliamentary Session.
	Details of the Commission's work can be found on their website at:
	http://tmc.independent.gov.uk

Political Party Funding

John Pugh: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what recent progress he has made on reform of party funding.

Mark Harper: I refer the hon. Member to the answer the Deputy Prime Minister gave to the hon. Member for Kingston upon Hull North (Diana Johnson) today.

Succession to the Throne

Keith Vaz: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what progress he has made on changing the law on succession to the throne.

Mark Harper: The Government have announced that, with the agreement of the 15 other realms of which Her Majesty is also Head of State, we will remove the system under which a younger son may displace an elder daughter in the line of succession, remove the penalties for marrying a Roman Catholic and reduce the ambit of the Royal Marriages Act. Work to secure the consent of the other Commonwealth realms to the introduction of UK primary legislation to give effect to these changes is being co-ordinated by the New Zealand Government, with whom we are working very closely. The right hon. Member may wish to note that the change on gender will apply to a child born after the date of the Perth announcement (28 October 2011), even if the birth is before the legislation is passed.

Members of Parliament (Recall)

Sarah Newton: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what recent representations he has received on a power for constituents to recall their Member of Parliament.

Mark Harper: The Government have received more than 50 representations since the publication of their White Paper and draft Bill on recall of MPs on 13 December 2011.

War Powers

John Leech: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what recent discussions he has had on the introduction of a bill on war powers.

Mark Harper: As is usual in the formulation of Government policy, I have had discussion with ministerial colleagues, advisers and civil servants.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Betting: Dormant Accounts

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport whether he has considered claiming the funds held by betting companies in the form of unclaimed winnings and dormant betting accounts for investment in grassroots sports; and if he will make a statement.

John Penrose: holding answer 19 March 2012
	In his report on the use of funds in dormant betting accounts and unclaimed winnings, the right hon. Member for Bath (Mr Foster) does not make a recommendation on the potential recipient of any money from unclaimed winnings or dormant betting accounts, although he does state his view that sports facilities and sports clubs are the most suitable direction. The Government will consider all of the recommendations in his report once we have legislated for our proposals for remote gambling.

Broadband

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what recent assessment he has made of the effects of the Mobile Infrastructure Project on expanding mobile broadband coverage to hot-spot areas.

Edward Vaizey: Increasing the coverage and quality of mobile connectivity will help to support business growth, extend access to key public services and bring an improvement in the mobile customer experience more widely across many parts of the UK. The Mobile Infrastructure Project is working to address premises and roads with no mobile coverage across the UK. We have almost completed the process of identifying the worst affected areas and roads and the Department is working closely with industry to develop plans for those areas being identified.

Broadband: Cardiff

Alun Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what the latest progress is on Cardiff being approved as a superfast city under the Government's urban broadband fund.

Edward Vaizey: In the 29 autumn statement of 29 November 2011, Official Report, columns 799-810, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced the setting-up of the £100 million Urban Broadband Fund. The four national capitals will receive money from the Fund and up to a further six cities will be selected for funding by competition. All eligible cities, including the capitals, had to submit detailed proposals by 13 February to enable the Chancellor of the Exchequer to decide the allocations, which will be announced in the Budget. The Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport, my right hon. Friend the Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt), is pleased to say that a proposal was received from Cardiff and he will be writing to the Chancellor of the Exchequer this week with his recommendations for funding for 10 cities.

Electronic Government

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what assessment he has made of the potential of smart city technology; and whether any trials are planned by his Department.

Edward Vaizey: The Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport, my right hon. Friend the Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt), has followed with interest the development of smart cities technology, including the initiatives by other Departments: BIS committed to a £25 million demonstrator in the 29 November 2011 autumn statement, Official Report, columns 799-810; and the Cities Policy Unit in Cabinet Office is working with a number of cities who have an interest in this and who are engaging their private sector and local partners to help develop Smart City proposals. In view of these developments, no trials by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport are currently planned.

Lifeguards: Registration

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what information his Department holds on when Skills Active plans to establish and launch a register of aquatics professionals.

Hugh Robertson: The timeframe for launching a Register of Aquatic Professionals (RAPs) is yet to be confirmed. This is likely to be late 2012 at the earliest.

Lifeguards: Registration

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what information his Department holds on which stakeholders will sit on Skills Active's governing council to assist in developing the proposed register of aquatics professionals.

Hugh Robertson: As part of the consultation process SkillsActive is currently scoping which organisations wilt constitute the governance group of the Register of Aquatic Professionals (RAPs).

Lifeguards: Registration

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what plans he has to develop common units as the basis for admission to the proposed register of aquatics professionals; and which pre-existing qualifications and awards will be accepted.

Hugh Robertson: The registration requirements for aquatics professionals will emerge out of the current consultation process.

Lifeguards: Registration

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport which stakeholders will be consulted when developing the common units to be used as the basis for the new register of aquatics professionals managed by Skills Active.

Hugh Robertson: SkillsActive will consult all relevant organisations in the development of common units. This will include employers (eg leisure operators), awarding organisations and partners (eg the Royal Lifesaving Society and Institute of Qualification Lifeguards (RLSS/ IQL), Swimming Teachers Association (STA), Amateur Swimming Association (ASA) and the Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity (CIMPSA)).

Lifeguards: Registration

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what information his Department holds on Skills Active's intention to establish a register of aquatics professionals.

Hugh Robertson: SkillsActive is currently scoping the potential of creating a new independent Register of Aquatic Professionals (RAPs).

Olympic Games 2012

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the London 2012 Organising Committee's provision of information regarding the sale of tickets for the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Hugh Robertson: Ticketing is a matter for the London 2012 Organising Committee (LOCOG), which is a private company operating independently of Government. LOCOG has provided a wide range of information about the sale of London 2012 tickets, publishing the full competition schedule and pricing information well in advance of sales, followed by Olympic and Paralympic ticketing guides in hard copy and online giving details for over 1,000 sessions of sport.
	LOCOG has now sold around 7 million tickets to the games, with around 4 million left to sell. From next month, the final sales process will begin and I agree with LOCOG's decision that the best time to publish a comprehensive breakdown of tickets sold will be after this is completed.

Radio Frequencies

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what his policy is on using the white spaces in television spectrum for other uses; and what assessment has been made of the potential to use 600 MHz spectrum as white space spectrum.

Edward Vaizey: The matter raised is an operational one for the independent regulator, the Office of Communications (Ofcom), which is accountable to Parliament rather than Ministers. Ofcom have advised the following information:
	Ofcom is currently working with stakeholders in industry and Government to develop a framework under which white space devices could be used within television spectrum. Ofcom will be considering the potential use of white space devices in the 600 MHz band following a forthcoming strategy consultation on related bands.

Telecommunications

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what assessment he has made of the availability of (a) 3G and (b) 4G telecommunications in (i) East Cleveland, (ii) the Tees Valley, (iii) the North East and (iv) the UK.

Edward Vaizey: In November 2011, Ofcom published data describing the coverage of 2G and 3G networks across the UK in its report to the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport, my right hon. Friend the Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt), on the UK's communications infrastructure.
	These data were reported at the level of counties and unitary authorities and the 3G coverage of the areas in the North East and the UK is listed in the following table. Ofcom assessed the coverage of these regions depending on whether there were reliable 2G and 3G signals from one or all operators. Further information about coverage in other parts of the UK, including maps and data tables, is available on Ofcom's website at:
	http://maps.ofcom.org.uk/mobile/index.html
	
		
			 County/unitary authority 3G geographic coverage (from at least one operator) (%) 3G premises coverage (from at least one operator) (%) 
			 Redcar and Cleveland 98 more than 99 
			 Hartlepool more than 99 more than 99 
			 Middlesbrough more than 99 more than 99 
			 Stockton on Tees more than 99 more than 99 
			 Darlington more than 99 more than 99 
			 Northumberland 60 96 
			 North Tyneside more than 99 more than 99 
			 South Tyneside more than 99 more than 99 
			 Newcastle Upon Tyne more than 99 more than 99 
			 Sunderland more than 99 more than 99 
			 Gateshead more than 99 more than 99 
			 County Durham 73 99 
			 UK 87 99 
		
	
	I have made no assessment of the availability of 4G services at national or regional level as no commercial services have yet been deployed in the UK. Rollout will follow Ofcom's award of the spectrum, expected to commence at the end of this year. Ofcom also recently proposed to accept a request to vary Everything Everywhere's 1800 MHz spectrum licences to allow use of Long Term Evolution and WiMAX technologies which can be used to deliver 4G mobile services.

Telecommunications

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what plans he has to review the Electronic Communications Code.

Edward Vaizey: The Law Commission started work on an independent review of the Electronic Communications Code in September 2011. They expect to publish a consultation paper in late June 2012, and a report, together with recommendations to Government, will be published in spring 2013.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

British Indian Ocean Territory

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 20 February 2012, Official Report, column 525W, on British Indian Ocean Territory, for what reasons the Freedom of Information Act and the Environmental Information Regulations do not apply to the British Indian Overseas Territory administration.

David Lidington: The territorial extent of the Freedom of Information Act is limited to the relevant parts of the United Kingdom, and therefore it does not apply to any British Overseas Territory. The Environmental Information Regulations 2004, which implement EU legislation not applicable to British Indian Overseas Territory (BIOT), also do not apply to BIOT.

Cluster Munitions

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department is taking to encourage other nations to sign up to the Convention on Cluster Munitions.

Alistair Burt: The Government remain fully committed to seeking a global ban on cluster munitions. We are greatly encouraged that 111 countries have already joined the Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM). We continue to promote the universalisation of the CCM at relevant bilateral and multilateral meetings. In October 2011, the UK, in partnership with non-governmental organisations and the International Committee of the Red Cross, hosted a workshop for Commonwealth countries, which was opened by the Minister of State, my noble Friend the right hon. Lord Howell of Guildford. We will continue to seek opportunities to promote the Convention to non-signatories.

Council of Europe

Naomi Long: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress he has made on combating discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity through the Council of Europe since November 2011.

Jeremy Browne: In January the Council of Europe (CoE) established a Committee on Equal Opportunities and Non Discrimination. This new Committee has a remit to progress broader equality issues, including Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGB&T) rights. The CoE Secretariat has also, with the benefit of voluntary contributions, been able to establish a unit to promote LGB&T rights with certain partner countries. To further this work the UK will host a conference in Strasbourg on 27 March to promote CoE recommendations on combating discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation or gender identity.

Israel

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions (a) he, (b) his Ministers and (c) officials in his Department have had with their Israeli counterparts on the denial of entry into Israel and the deportation from Israel of UK citizens.

Alistair Burt: The Government extend consular assistance to British nationals whenever appropriate.
	The Foreign and Commonwealth Office does not make general representations on another country's immigration policies or procedures. Israeli immigration officials are under no obligation to explain their decisions to us and, as mentioned in our travel advice, they have the right to refuse entry to anyone they wish. The UK's immigration authority is similarly protected.
	If British nationals plan to travel to Israel or the Occupied Palestinian Territories, we advise them to read through the travel advice on the FCO's website available at the follow link:
	http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/travel-and-living-abroad/travel-advice-by-country/middle-east-north-africa/israel-occupied
	Those travelling to the Occupied Palestinian Territories may also obtain further information from the British consulate-general in Jerusalem before travel.

Morocco: Algeria

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his counterparts from other permanent members of the UN Security Council on ensuring that the UN takes steps to help Morocco and Algeria improve relations and open their borders to allow greater movement of people and goods.

Alistair Burt: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), discussed regional co-operation in the Maghreb, including relations between Algeria and Morocco during his visit to New York on 12 March. The UK Permanent Representative to the UN also discussed the situation in the region during the visit of Moroccan Foreign Minister, Saad Eddine El Othmani, to the Security Council earlier this month.
	I discussed the positive shift in the relationship between Algeria anal Morocco with the Algerian Minister for the Maghreb and Africa, Abdelkader Messahel, when I met him for the annual UK-Algeria high level talks on 8 March. I have also discussed the issue of regional co-operation with other Maghreb countries, including during my recent visit to Tunisia on 13-14 March.
	We welcome the exchange of ministerial visits between Morocco and Algeria and their commitment to work together to improve relations. We look forward to a revitalised role for the Arab Maghreb Union. A better integrated Maghreb would have clear economic and security benefits for the countries of the region.

Nuclear Weapons

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if the Prime Minister had discussions with President Obama on the reduction of current nuclear arsenals during his recent visit to the US.

Alistair Burt: The reduction of current nuclear arsenals was not on the agenda for the recent US visit.

Ottawa Convention

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department is taking to encourage nations to sign up to the Ottawa Treaty.

Alistair Burt: The Government remain fully committed to seeking a global ban on anti-personnel mines. We were greatly encouraged by Finland’s accession to the Ottawa Convention earlier this year. The Convention now has 159 signatories. We will continue to promote the universalisation of the Ottawa Treaty at relevant bilateral and multilateral meetings.

Sri Lanka

Ian Paisley Jnr: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his policy is on support for a UN Human Rights Council resolution on the implementation of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission Report in Sri Lanka; and what reports he has received on consultation with the Government of Sri Lanka on implementation of the recommendations in the report.

Alistair Burt: The UK supports the UN Human Rights Council resolution on Sri Lanka and we are urging other countries to support it.
	The Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC), which was appointed by the Sri Lankan Government to examine events relating to the civil war from 2002 to 2009, published its report on 16 December. We believe the report contains many constructive recommendations for action on post-conflict reconciliation and a political settlement. But we were disappointed by the findings and recommendations on accountability. We encourage the Sri Lankan Government to move quickly to implement the LLRC report's recommendations and to address questions of accountability for alleged war crimes that were left unanswered by it.

Sri Lanka

Ian Paisley Jnr: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he last met representatives of the Government of Sri Lanka.

Alistair Burt: I met the Sri Lankan high commissioner in London on 22 February.
	Our high commissioner in Colombo met with the Sri Lankan Foreign Minister on 15 March.

Sri Lanka

Ian Paisley Jnr: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on representations made by the US administration to other governments on the support of the government of Sri Lanka for a resolution on implementation of the recommendations in the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission Report.

Alistair Burt: The UK supports the UN Human Rights Council resolution tabled by the US and we are urging other countries to support it. The Government of Sri Lanka have made clear that they oppose the resolution. The US, the UK and others have encouraged the Government of Sri Lanka to accept international support in its pursuit of peace and reconciliation.

Sri Lanka

Ian Paisley Jnr: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to assist Sri Lanka in the reconciliation process.

Alistair Burt: The British Government believe that reconciliation and lasting peace in Sri Lanka can best be achieved through an inclusive political solution that addresses the underlying causes of the conflict and takes into account the legitimate grievances and aspirations of all Sri Lanka's communities. We have urged the Sri Lankan Government to implement the recommendations contained in their Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission's report.
	We support the UN Human Rights Council resolution on Sri Lanka and we are urging other countries to support it.

Sri Lanka

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with representatives of the International Criminal Court on arrest warrants for people accused of war crimes in Sri Lanka; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: There have been no recent discussions with representatives of the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Sri Lanka.
	Sri Lanka is not party to the Rome Statute, so the ICC has no jurisdiction to investigate the situation in that country. The ICC could only exercise jurisdiction if the situation is referred to it by a UN Security Council Resolution, or if Sri Lanka accepts the Court's jurisdiction.

Sri Lanka

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on allegations of war crimes committed during the recent conflict in Sri Lanka; if he will assess whether human rights abuses are taking place in that country; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: The UN Secretary General's Panel of Experts Report, which was published in April 2011, found credible allegations, which if proven, indicate that a wide range of serious violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law was committed by both the Government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. That is why we support an independent, thorough and credible investigation into the grave allegations. We were disappointed by the findings and recommendations on accountability for alleged war crimes in the Sri Lankan Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission's report which was published in December 2011, though we believe it made other recommendations that the Government of Sri Lankan should implement.
	We have serious concerns about human rights in Sri Lanka, including disappearances, political violence, reports of torture in custody and restrictions on free expression. Sri Lanka is a Country of Concern in our annual Human Rights and Democracy Report. We continue to raise our concerns directly with the Government of Sri Lanka and call upon it to investigate reports of human rights abuses wherever they occur.

Tunisia

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what (a) discussions he has had with and (b) representations he has made to his Saudi Arabian counterpart on the necessity for Saudi authorities to return former President Ben Ali to Tunisia to face outstanding charges against him.

Alistair Burt: I have not discussed former Tunisian president, Ben Ali, with my Saudi Arabian counterpart with a view to seeking his return to Tunisia.

Western Sahara

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 29 February 2012, Official Report, column 399W, on Western Sahara, when Farida Shaheed visited Western Sahara; how long her visit lasted; and when he expects her to publish a report of her visit.

Alistair Burt: The UN Independent Expert in the field of cultural rights, Farida Shaheed visited Morocco and Western Sahara for 12 days in total, from 5 to 16 September 2011. We do not have information about how much time she spent in each location. We expect her final report to be published and examined by the Human Rights Council in June 2012. A report detailing her preliminary conclusions and observations from the visit can be found on the website of the Office for the High Commissioner for Human Rights at the UN by following the link:
	http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=l1396&LangID=E

ATTORNEY-GENERAL

European Convention on Human Rights

Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Attorney-General what recent estimate he has made of the number of legal proceedings concerning the European Convention on Human Rights which affect the UK.

Dominic Grieve: We currently have 90 pending cases which have been communicated to the UK from the European Court of Human Rights (with 5 cases communicated so far in 2012). The vast majority of applications against the UK are not communicated to us and struck out by the Court directly—they were approximately 3,800 pending applications against the UK (out of a total of 152,200) on 31 January 2012.

Racially Aggravated Offences

Chris Williamson: To ask the Attorney-General what criteria the Crown Prosecution Service uses to determine the level of evidence required to proceed with a prosecution in a case of racially aggravated crime.

Edward Garnier: Cases involving offences of racially or religiously aggravated crime referred to the CPS by the police are reviewed in accordance with the Code for Crown Prosecutors (the Code) and in line with the CPS Policy and Guidance on Prosecuting Cases of Racist and Religious Crime. If a case passes the evidential stage in the Full Code Test which is set out in the Code, the CPS goes on to consider whether the public interest is in favour of prosecution.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

British Overseas Territories

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 14 September 2011, Official Report, column 48WS, on the Overseas Territories Strategy, if he will publish the paper his Department prepared on how it intends to recognise its responsibility to engage with the British Overseas Territories.

Gregory Barker: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office plan to publish a White Paper setting out the Government's overall approach to the Overseas Territories shortly.
	In advance of this, we will publish online a paper on DECC's proposed engagement with the British Overseas Territories. I will, on the same day, deposit a copy of the paper in the Libraries of the House.

Carbon Sequestration

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of carbon capture and storage transport and storage infrastructure in the UK.

Charles Hendry: The Energy Technologies Institute, which is part funded by Government, has completed a £4 million study of UK offshore storage sites for carbon dioxide. The study will be published later this year and is the most detailed assessment produced to date.
	The development of the infrastructure needed to transport and store carbon dioxide is one of the key challenges identified by the CCS roadmap that we will publish shortly. The roadmap will be published alongside a streamlined selection process for future CCS projects in the coming weeks.

Electricity

Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether he has made a decision on the identity of the counterparty to proposed contracts for difference in his electricity market reform proposals.

Charles Hendry: We are assessing a range of options for the legal structure of the CfD and the payment model, both of which define the counterparty for the CfD. We are working closely with industry to arrive at an effective and practical solution for all parties. Details on our preferred payment model will be published in the draft Operational Framework for the CfD in late spring.

Electricity

Alan Beith: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the total level of electricity consumption was in the UK for each year since 2005.

Charles Hendry: The following table shows the total electricity demand from 2005 to 2010, the latest year for which this information is available.
	
		
			  Total demand (TWh) 
			 2005 406.5 
			 2006 404.7 
			 2007 401.9 
			 2008 399.6 
			 2009 379.4 
			 2010 384.0 
		
	
	The data are available in Table 5.1 of Digest of United Kingdom Energy Statistics 2011, which can be downloaded from the DECC website at:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/statistics/energy_stats/source/electricity/electricity.aspx

Electricity: Meters

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what criteria his Department is using to determine the technologies eligible for use in smart meters.

Charles Hendry: DECC has undertaken extensive consultation with energy companies, meter manufacturers and others to develop specifications for smart meters. This work has included examination of existing solutions and emerging EU standards. Prior to mass roll-out, energy suppliers will use the foundation period to build up experience and learning and during this period it is expected that many currently available meters will comply with DECC's specifications. For mass roll-out it is probable that further product development will be required by meter manufacturers.

Energy Ombudsman

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change 
	(1)  how many complaints were made to the Energy Ombudsman in respect of each of the participating companies in (a) 2008, (b) 2009, (c) 2010 and (d) 2011;
	(2)  how many complaints to the Energy Ombudsman (a) were upheld, (b) were rejected, (c) resulted in a financial award, (d) resulted in an apology or explanation and (e) resulted in other practical action in (i) 2008, (ii) 2009, (iii) 2010 and (iv) 2011.

Charles Hendry: The Ombudsman Service publishes data on energy complaints they have received in their Annual Energy Reports. In 2009-10, the ombudsman investigated 6,419 complaints, of which 73% resulted in a financial reward with most also receiving an apology or explanation. In 2010-11, the ombudsman investigated 5,812 complaints, of which 69% resulted in a financial reward with most also receiving an apology or explanation.
	Data for 2008 is included in 2009, as the Ombudsman Service was established as an approved statutory redress scheme in October 2008.

Energy Ombudsman

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Energy Ombudsman.

Charles Hendry: The Ombudsman Service is a statutory redress scheme approved by Ofgem under the Consumer, Estate Agents and Redress Act 2007. The Ombudsman has the power to require the regulated energy provider to pay compensation to its customers, and recommend changes to the provider's existing practices and procedures.
	Since the Ombudsman was established in October 2008, it has investigated over 12,000 complaints from domestic and business customers. The Ombudsman can only accept a complaint after the customer has take up the matter with their energy provider who then failed to resolve the dispute and provides an important course of redress for consumers.

Energy Ombudsman

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what his policy is on non-domestic customers seeking redress through the Energy Ombudsman.

Charles Hendry: Since 1 October 2008, gas and electricity small non-domestic customers—those who consume less than 200,000 kWh gas per year or 55,000 kWh electricity per year, or have a turnover/balance sheet of less than €2 million, or fewer than 10 full time employees—can ask the Ombudsman Service to investigate their complaints if their energy providers are unable to resolve the disputes. Previous to Ombudsman, small businesses had no recourse to redress arrangements.
	Larger businesses can address any issues through the legal system, as they would with disputes with suppliers of other goods and services.

Energy: Billing

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the number of (a) domestic and (b) non-domestic customers in debt to their energy supplier in (i) 2011, (ii) 2010, (iii) 2009, (iv) 2008, (v) 2007, (vi) 2006 and (vii) 2005.

Charles Hendry: Ofgem monitors and publishes information about domestic customers repaying debt for their gas and electricity supplies (in its Social Obligations Annual Reports). Ofgem does not publish data on non-domestic customers repaying debt. The following table shows the number of domestic customers repaying debt at the end of the year from 2005 to 2010. Data for 2011 are not yet available.
	
		
			 million 
			  Electricity Gas 
			 2005 1.2 1.0 
			 2006 1.2 0.8 
			 2007 1.3 0.8 
			 2008 1.1 0.9 
			 2009 1.0 0.7 
			 2010 0.9 0.7

Energy: Carbon Emissions

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the level of carbon dioxide emissions in tonnes per gigawatt hour of energy generated in 2011 from (a) coal, (b) oil, (c) gas, (d) fossil fuels and (e) all fuels including nuclear and renewable.

Gregory Barker: No estimates for 2011 have yet been made. Initial estimates will be made in the 2012 edition of the Digest of UK Energy Statistics (DUKES), which will be published on 26 July.
	The latest data are for 2010 and are shown in the following table (this data has been sourced from Table 5A of DUKES 2011).
	
		
			 Fuel Tonnes of CO 2  per GWh electricity supplied 
			 Coal 909 
			 Oil 653 
			 Gas 398 
			 All fossil fuels 590 
			 All fuels including nuclear and renewables 458

Energy: Meters

Roger Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps he plans to take to ensure that no breaches of personal privacy or abuse of data arise from the installation and use of domestic smart meters; and if he will make a statement.

Charles Hendry: The Government are following international best practice in undertaking ‘Privacy by Design’, meaning that privacy issues are considered and embedded into the design of the smart metering programme from the start.
	The Government are clear that consumers should have a choice about how their smart metering data are used, and by whom, apart from where data are required to fulfil regulated duties. To understand the full range of potential concerns the Government have engaged with key groups such as Consumer Focus, Ofgem, the Information Commissioner's Office and suppliers.
	The Government will be publishing a consultation document on detailed proposals for smart metering data access and privacy shortly.

Energy: Meters

Neil Parish: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when he expects (a) the smart metering home area network tests to be undertaken and (b) the conclusions of those tests to be published.

Charles Hendry: The smart metering home area networking (HAN) trials are being undertaken currently. The results of the trials will be used as evidence to support the evaluation of HAN standards. Proposals on the Government's policy on future HAN standards are expected to be published in a consultation on the Smart Metering Equipment Technical Specifications, over the summer.

Energy: Meters

Neil Parish: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether his Department has examined smart metering solutions currently available as models to be able to meet the majority of its smart meter roll-out programme objectives.

Charles Hendry: DECC has undertaken extensive consultation with energy companies, meter manufacturers and others to develop specifications for smart meters. This work has included examination of existing solutions and emerging EU standards. Prior to mass roll-out, energy suppliers will use the foundation period to build up experience and learning and during this period it is expected that many currently available meters will comply with DECC's specifications. For mass roll-out it is probable that further product development will be required by meter manufacturers.

EU Emissions Trading Scheme

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the effect of the EU Emissions Trading System on domestic energy bills; and by what means he carried out such an assessment.

Gregory Barker: In November 2011, DECC estimated that the EU Allowance (carbon) price added approximately £23 or 2% (real 2010 prices) to an average household energy bill in 2011 before other energy and climate change policies. Available online at:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/meeting_energy/aes/impacts/impacts.aspx
	This estimate was based on the impact of the carbon price on wholesale electricity prices by multiplying the then central carbon price projection for 2011 by an assumed marginal emission factor for electricity and adding VAT. This is consistent with assuming full cost pass through of the EUA price faced by the marginal electricity generator (assumed to be gas) to end use electricity consumers regardless of whether allowances are allocated free of charge to generators or are purchased from auctions or the secondary carbon market. The assumptions used to arrive at this estimate are available online at:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/about/ec_social_res/iag_guidance/iag_guidance.aspx

Green Deal Scheme

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when his Department plans to publish its response to the Green Deal consultation.

Gregory Barker: We still expect, subject to Parliament, to have Green Deal legislation on the statute book by the summer recess so that the legal framework is there to underpin the Green Deal in October. To this end, we currently expect to publish the Government's response in June 2012.

Green Deal Scheme

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change where the call centres for the Green Deal Helpline will be based.

Gregory Barker: DECC is setting up a helpline which will provide advice to customers on how they can reduce their fuel bills and carbon emissions, including how they can benefit from the Green Deal. The service will be based at Careline Services' contact centre in Chiswick, west London.

Green Deal Scheme

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change who the administrator of the Green Deal helpline will be.

Gregory Barker: DECC is setting up a helpline which will provide advice to customers on how they can reduce their fuel bills and carbon emissions, including how they can benefit from the Green Deal. Following a competitive procurement process, the contract has been awarded to the Energy Saving Trust in partnership with Careline Services.

Green Deal Scheme

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when he expects the Green Deal Helpline to enter service.

Gregory Barker: DECC is setting up a helpline which will provide advice to customers on how they can reduce their fuel bills and carbon emissions, including how they can benefit from the Green Deal. The service will go live on 2 April 2012.

Green Deal Scheme

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the cost of the Green Deal Helpline; and how that cost will be met.

Gregory Barker: DECC is setting up a helpline which will provide advice to customers on how they can reduce their fuel bills and carbon emissions, including how they can benefit from the Green Deal. The maximum value of this contract is £13,003,961 over three years; however the cost of the contract could be significantly lower depending on call volumes. This will be funded through DECC's budget.

Information Commissioner

David Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many appeals his Department has made to an information tribunal contesting a decision notice of the Information Commissioner in the last 12 months.

Gregory Barker: None.

Lost Property

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what property has been lost or stolen from his Department in the last 12 months; and what the estimated cost was of replacement of such property.

Gregory Barker: Between 14 March 2011 and 14 March 2012 the following items have been lost or stolen from DECC:
	
		
			 Lost 
			  Number 
			 3G dongle 2 
			 BlackBerry 10 
			 Laptop 3 
			 Mobile phone 1 
			 Set of unclassified papers 1 
			 Building security pass 35 
			 Remote access authentication token 3 
			 Security authentication token 28 
		
	
	
		
			 Stolen 
			  Number 
			 BlackBerry 3 
			 Laptop 5 
			 Building security pass 6 
			 Remote access authentication token 2 
			 Security authentication token 9 
		
	
	The total cost of replacement is estimated at £16,280.

Manpower

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many private secretaries have served under each Minister in his Department since May 2010.

Gregory Barker: The following table sets out the number of serving and former private secretaries that have worked in Ministers' offices since May 2010. The figures exclude short-term locum placements.
	
		
			 Minister Number of private secretaries 
			 Secretary of State 10 
			 Minister of State for Energy 4 
			 Minister of State for Climate Change 5 
			 Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State 2

Ofgem

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many investigations Ofgem undertook in each of the last 10 years; and what the outcome was in each such case.

Charles Hendry: The information requested is a matter for Ofgem. The chief executive of Ofgem will write to the right hon. Member directly, and a copy of the letter will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Ofgem

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether in cases where Ofgem agrees to an energy company delivering a package in recompense for breaches following an investigation, the penalty fine that would have been imposed had this not been agreed would have been higher.

Charles Hendry: When the Gas and Electricity Markets Authority takes enforcement action under both the Gas Act 1986 and the Electricity Act 1989, it can impose a penalty of such amount as is reasonable to the circumstances of the case.
	When deciding on the level of any proposed penalty, the authority will consider a range of factors, including any compensation paid by a company under investigation. The extent, to which such compensation will impact on the level of the penalty will depend on the particular circumstance of the case, including the seriousness of the breach and its duration, the extent of harm to consumers and other competitors etc.
	The authority's Statement of Policy with respect to financial penalties under the Gas Act 1986 and the Electricity Act 1989 sets out general criteria that the authority will consider when assessing the initial level of penalty, the types of aggravating factors that are likely to increase the level of penalty and the types of mitigating factors that are likely to decrease the amount of the penalty(1).
	(1) ( )http://www.ofgem.gov.uk/About%20us/Documents1/Utilities %20Act%20-%20Statement%20of%20policy%20with%20respect %20to% 20financial%20penalties.pdf

Power Stations: Expenditure

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much was paid to (a) Cockenzie, (b) Peterhead, (c) Longannet, (d) Hunterston and (e) Torness power stations in the form of constraint payments in (i) 2009, (ii) 2010 and (iii) 2011.

Charles Hendry: holding answer 19 March 2012
	The Department does not hold the information requested. However, National Grid has advised that details of all Balancing Mechanism payments are published at
	www.elexon.co.uk
	and
	www.bmreports.com

Renewable Energy

Alan Beith: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many megawatts of renewable energy capacity had received planning approval in (a) the UK, (b) England, (c) the North East and (d) Northumberland in the latest period for which figures are available. [Official Report, 16 April 2012, Vol. 543, c. 1MC.]

Gregory Barker: The latest available figures show that there is 14.3GW renewable electricity projects approved but not operational in the UK; of this 8.5GW is in England.
	Further information on the current installed renewable electricity capacity as well as projects in planning and in construction for each region in the UK can be found on the DECC website, but unfortunately information below regional level is not available:
	https://restats.decc.gov.uk/cms/welcome-to-the-restats-web-site

Renewable Energy

Alan Beith: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many megawatts of renewable energy capacity were awaiting permission in (a) the UK, (b) England, (c) the North East and (d) Northumberland in the latest period for which figures are available.

Gregory Barker: There is currently 12.2GW of renewable electricity capacity being considered for permission in the UK; and of this, 5.3GW is in England.
	A graph that shows the installed capacity of all planning applications by region can be found on the DECC website, but unfortunately information below regional level is not available:
	https://restats.decc.gov.uk/app/pub/repd/regionalprogress/region/england/tab/regappstatusmw/

Renewable Energy: Feed-in Tariffs

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the oral answer of 8 March 2012, Official Report, column 998, on energy bills, what the evidential basis was for the additional cost to the average household energy bill by 2020 of the feed-in tariff scheme.

Gregory Barker: In the impact assessment supporting the current consultation on solar PV cost control:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/assets/decc/Consultations/fits-review/4320-feedin-tariffs-review-phase-2a-draft-impact-asses.pdf
	we estimate that under our proposed tariffs, solar PV under FITs would add £8(1) to consumers’ bills in 2020. This is based on our estimates that at the proposed tariff levels, and under the central uptake scenario, £2.80/MWh would be added to the electricity price in 2020; also that average annual domestic electricity consumption (taking into account energy efficiency savings as a result of energy and climate change policies(2) will be 2.9 MWh in 2020. Multiplying these figures together gives £8.
	(1) All costs in 2010 prices, undiscounted.
	(2) Energy efficiency savings as a result of policies reducing electricity consumption in 2020 include carbon emissions reduction target (CERT), CERT extension, Community Energy Saving programme, Green Deal and energy company obligation, products policy and smart meters.

Warm Home Discount Scheme

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the oral answer of 8 March 2012, Official Report, column 991, on energy bills, what the evidential basis was for the number of households which have received help with their energy bills through the warm homes discount.

Gregory Barker: This figure is based on the published impact assessment which took into account:
	Our estimates of the scale of the Core Group, based on DWP forecasts of benefit uptake and our experience of running the Energy Rebate Scheme in 2010;
	The degree of support suppliers are required to provided under the Broader Group;
	Suppliers' spending on the previous voluntary agreement which was used to estimate the average level of support and number of households assisted through social and discounted tariffs in the legacy spending element of the scheme.

Wind Power

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent discussions he has had on Professor Hughes' study into the cost and carbon efficiency of wind farms and gas fired power stations.

Charles Hendry: The Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, the right hon. Member for Kingston and Surbiton (Mr Davey) has not had any discussions on Professor Hughes' study into the cost and carbon efficiency of wind farms and gas fired power stations needed for backup.
	We welcome all constructive contributions to the debate about our future energy needs and how we may meet them. However, in this case the analysis is narrowly focused and does not model the market as a whole or reflect the full generation mix that is considered within the DECC scenarios that have been presented for the Renewables Obligation, EMR, and the 4(th) carbon budget.

Wind Power

Alan Beith: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the average load factor was of wind farms in English regions in each year since 2000.

Charles Hendry: Information on average load factors for wind generation by English region is published annually in the September edition of Energy Trends; copies of this publication are available in the Libraries of the House, and on the Department's website at:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/statistics/publications/trends/trends.aspx
	A time series of load factors is available on the Department’s website at
	https://restats.decc.gov.uk/cms/historic-regional-statistics/#load_factors
	these data are reproduced in the following table, and show load factors calculated on an “unchanged configuration” basis; this means the wind farm has been operating continuously throughout the year shown, and avoids distorting the data as a result of new capacity being introduced towards the end of the year.
	
		
			 Wind load factors by English regions, 2000 to 2010 
			 Percentage 
			 Region (1) 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 
			 All England 26.6 22.6 26.7 23.9 25.3 25.4 23.4 25.7 26.6 23.9 20.8 
			 East Midlands — — — — — — — 27.8 31.6 25.7 21.2 
			 Eastern — — — 22.7 25.9 27.1 25.9 27.2 26.6 23.9 20.9 
			 North East — — 23.3 19.0 22.3 23.3 17.8 23.0 20.5 21.9 21.5 
			 North West 27,0 22.7 26.5 23.9 26.0 26.5 23.1 24.5 24.7 26.3 20.0 
			 South East (incl. London) — — — — — 18.3 19.1 17.3 — 18.3 22.1 
			 South West — — — 24.5 24.2 23.6 24.2 23.8 25.6 24.1 1 7.7 
		
	
	
		
			 West Midlands — — — — — — — — — — — 
			 Yorkshire & The Humber — — — 25.2 26.7 27.2 26.9 26.1 29.6 22.9 21.8 
			 (1 )Regions with less than 3 wind farms operating continuously through a particular year are displayed as “—“, however their contribution is included in the all England total.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Air Pollution

Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on which public bodies in (a) national and (b) local government the EU has the power to levy fines for failure to comply with air quality requirements.

Richard Benyon: The EU only has the power to fine member states, and not public bodies, for non-compliance with EU law. To date, the UK has never been fined.

Air Pollution

Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether she plans to include action on air quality in the next revision of her Department's business plan.

Richard Benyon: A review of DEFRA’s business plan is ongoing during 2012, in response to the Environmental Audit Committee's recommendation in their follow up report on air quality; further consideration will be given to the inclusion of air quality as part of that review.
	Although air quality is not explicitly mentioned in the current DEFRA business plan, which was published May 2011, this does not in any way reflect a lack of importance attached to air quality nor to its significance as a cross government issue.

Air Pollution

Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions she has had with Ministers in other Departments about air quality.

Richard Benyon: My DEFRA Ministerial colleagues and I have recently had a wide range of discussions with Ministers in other Departments, where the links between air quality and other Departments' policy areas have been addressed, including in relation to economic policy, better regulation, public health, transport, energy, climate change, local government and planning.

Air Pollution

Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions (a) she has and (b) officials in her Department have had with representatives of local government about the effects on health of air pollution.

Richard Benyon: DEFRA Ministers and officials have had a wide range of recent discussions with representatives of local government on air quality, including on the health impacts of air pollution.

Air Pollution: Greater London

Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on how many occasions and where the limit for particulate pollution (PM10) has been breached in London in (a) 2011 and (b) 2012 to date.

Richard Benyon: The UK compliance assessment for 2011 is not yet complete. Air quality monitoring and modelling data for 2011 is currently being collated and verified in time for publication and reporting to the European Commission in September 2012, in accordance with the reporting requirements of the Ambient Air Quality Directive (2008/50/EC).
	The UK compliance assessment for 2012 will be published in September 2013.

Air Pollution: Greater London

Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to ensure that the public and the London 2012 Olympics authorities are kept fully informed about pollution levels in London during the Olympic games.

Richard Benyon: The Secretary of State has put in place the following non-routine services for the 2012 Olympic games period to provide information about air quality in London.
	She will provide the Health Protection Agency with daily forecast information from mid-June to mid-September 2012 to allow inclusion in daily briefings to the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) on risks to public health.
	To increase the accuracy and timeliness of predictions, additional daily forecasts will be provided on demand if moderate air quality has been forecast by the routine three-day air quality forecasting services. These additional daily forecasts will be available to a spatial scale resolution of 2 km as required for London and the South East.
	Extra air quality grant funding has been allocated to the airTEXT service, which provides free text, email or voicemail alerts of elevated levels of pollution. Around 10,000 Londoners have now signed up to airTEXT. AirTEXT will carry out further promotion work aimed at Londoners and visitors in the run-up to the games.
	Additional air pollution information is already available in most daily newspapers, and via the website and app:
	www.londonair.org.uk
	This complements online information already provided by DEFRA at:
	http://uk-air.defra.gov.uk

Common Agricultural Policy: Reform

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she has taken to ensure that British farmers are not disadvantaged during discussions on Common Agricultural Policy reform.

James Paice: We are working closely with European colleagues to argue for a fair outcome for UK taxpayers, farmers and consumers. The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) needs to look to the long term—to improve value for money, increase competitiveness, deliver public goods and reduce reliance on subsidies. We share the Commission's ambition for a greener CAP, but are cautious of proposals to achieve this through Pillar 1(direct subsidies for production). I have discussed UK concerns in detail with EU Agriculture Commissioner Ciolos, who said in his speech to the recent Annual General Meeting of the National Farmers' Union that appropriate ways would be found to recognise efforts made under agri-environment schemes (funded under Pillar 2 to provide environmental benefits) that contribute to the greening of the CAP. I also aim to achieve a more appropriate transition to area-based payments to ensure devolved Administrations are not unduly impacted, and seek a more objective allocation of Pillar 2 funding.

Flood Control

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps her Department is taking to limit coastal erosion and protect communities in high-risk areas.

Richard Benyon: This Government will spend £2.17 billion on managing the risk of flooding and coastal erosion over this spending period (April 2011 to March 2015). We have prioritised areas of severe flood and coastal erosion risk and households in deprived communities. Of the 145,000 homes that will be better protected by 2015, around half will be in areas of significant flood risk and almost 15,000 homes will be both at significant flood risk and in the most deprived parts of the country.
	New estimates show that the risk management authorities are on track to exceed the goal of better protecting 145,000 homes by March 2015. This is in part due to the new partnership approach to funding that has helped secure £72 million of external contributions for projects over the next three years.

Low Emission Zones

Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to establish a national framework for low emission zones.

Richard Benyon: DEFRA is working with the Department of Transport to investigate the feasibility and effectiveness of a national framework to support low emission zones (LEZs) and a national certification scheme of retrofit technologies. This work is to determine whether such a framework is needed and whether it would be helpful for local authorities setting up LEZs. Part of the investigation concerns whether the abatement technology and standards applied are effective in reducing emissions.

Schmallenberg Virus

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions she has had with her counterparts in the devolved administrations on the spread of the Schmallenberg virus.

James Paice: We are in contact with the Chief Veterinary Officers and their officials in the devolved Administrations.

Schmallenberg Virus

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what guidance she has issued to farmers in relation to the Schmallenberg virus.

James Paice: Guidance to farmers is available at the VLA website:
	http://vla.defra.gov.uk/science/sci_schmallenberg.htm
	with links to leaflets. This information is regularly updated.

Whales

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of the number of whales killed by cargo ships and tankers in the last year for which figures are available; and what steps she is taking to reduce the incidence of such activity.

Richard Benyon: There were 16 cases of large whale ship strikes, zero from the UK, reported to the annual meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) in 2011.
	Through the IWC Ship Strikes Working Group UK, scientists have contributed to research efforts to quantify the number of whales killed in collisions and to develop ways to reduce the risks. The UK was also present during the development of the International Maritime Organization's guidance document for minimising the risk of ship strikes with cetaceans, which was issued in July 2009.

TRANSPORT

A15

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many people were (a) killed and (b) injured in road accidents on the A15 in each of the last five years; and if she will make a statement.

Michael Penning: The number of people that were (a) killed and (b) injured in reported personal injury road accidents on the A15 for each of the last five years for which data are available, is given in the table:
	
		
			 Number of casualties 
			  2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 
			 (a) Killed 2 4 5 3 7 
			 (b) Injured 341 333 389 339 325

A15

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what bids for funding for improvements and widening to the A15 have been made to her Department since May 2010.

Norman Baker: No bids have been made to the Department since May 2010 for funding improvements and widening to the A15.
	We are consulting on proposals to devolve the funding for local authority major transport schemes from 2015. This would allow local communities and businesses a real say on investment priorities and bids would no longer need to come to DFT for approval.

Air Routes

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  how many slots per week have been agreed between the Government and the government of the People's Republic of China for passenger air services between (i) London Heathrow, (ii) Gatwick Airport, (iii) Luton Airport, (iv) Edinburgh, (v) Glasgow, (vi) Prestwick and (vii) Aberdeen and China;
	(2)  how many slots per week have been agreed between the Government and the government of Brazil for passenger air services between (a) London, (b) Birmingham, (c) Edinburgh, (d) Glasgow, (e) Prestwick and (f) Aberdeen and Brazil;
	(3)  how many scheduled passenger air routes between London and countries outside the EU have been established and operated by (a) airlines designated by the UK authorities and (b) airlines designated by another country's authority in the latest period for which figures are available;
	(4)  how many scheduled passenger air routes between Scotland and countries outside the EU have been established and operated by (a) airlines designated by the UK authorities and (b) airlines designated by the other country's authority in the latest period for which figures are available.

Theresa Villiers: holding answer 19 March 2012
	I refer to my answer of 14 March 2012, Official Report, column 238-240W, which included details of the UK's air services arrangements with China and Brazil.
	The majority of air services arrangements, including those with Brazil and China, do not prescribe which UK airports should be served. The decision is a commercial matter for airlines, based on their assessment of the particular markets. I understand that scheduled services are currently operated from Scotland to the following destinations outside the European Union: Dubai, New York, Dalaman (from April), Reykjavik and Zurich.

Aviation: Security

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what information her Department holds on other EU member states which provide significant or 100 per cent. revenue and capital support for airport security.

Theresa Villiers: holding answer 19 March 2012
	The Department does not hold the information requested. However, a report by the European Commission on the financing of aviation security was published on 2 February 2009.
	A copy of the European Commission's report was placed in the Libraries of both Houses on 10 February 2009, and an explanatory memorandum prepared by the Department for Transport was placed in Libraries on 9 March 2009.

Bus Lanes: Ambulances

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will make provision for ambulances, on non-emergency but medical transportation, to use bus lanes.

Norman Baker: holding answer 15 March 2012
	It is for local traffic authorities to decide which types of vehicles they permit to use bus lanes on their network. If they wish to allow ambulances on non-emergency calls to use bus lanes, they can do so by writing this into the relevant Traffic Regulation Order.

East Coast Railway Line

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate she has made of the projected time saving of high speed rail between London and Newcastle compared to the London to Newcastle journey time that will be achieved under her forthcoming Intercity Express Programme on the East Coast Main Line.

Justine Greening: The current average journey time is 2 hours 52 minutes. Under IEP this would become 2 hours 41 minutes and with HS2 2 hours 18 minutes with two intermediate stops, as set out in the HS2 Decisions Document.

Food

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proportion of food procured by her Department (a) meets the Government Buying Standards for Food and Catering and (b) is from British sources.

Norman Baker: The Department for Transport and its agencies have procured food as follows:
	
		
			 Business Unit Proportion of food that meets the Government Buying Standards for Food and Catering Proportion of food procured from British sources 
			 DFT DFT(c) procures food indirectly via its Facilities Management contract. However, there is no mechanism in place with the current contractor to report the proportion of food procured that meets the Government Buying Standards for Food and Catering. Over the last 12 months 70% of food procured was from British sources. 
			 DSA DSA procures food indirectly via its Facilities Management contract. Owing to a recent change of contractor, information on the proportion of food procured that meets Government Buying Standards is not yet available. The data should be available later in the year. For the period 1 September 2011 to 31 January 2012, 54% of food procured was from British sources. 
		
	
	
		
			 DVLA DVLA procures food indirectly via its PFI Estates Contract. The service provider has confirmed that 100% of the food procured meets the Government Buying Standards for Food and Catering. Currently 68% of the total food procured is from British sources 
			 HA HA procures food indirectly via its Facilities Management contract. Although where food is sub-contracted there is a requirement to provide variety and healthy options, there is none to specify sourcing or Government Buying Standards, and consequentially no reporting mechanism in place. It is planned to change these terms as part of the contract renewal processes which is anticipated as being effective from February 2014. There is no mechanism in place to report the proportion of food from British sources. 
			 Other Agencies The requested information is not held as they do not have catering contracts in place. The requested information is not held as they do not have catering contracts in place.

Great Western Railway Line: Electrification

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many single track miles are to be electrified under her proposals for electrification of the Great Western Main Line.

Theresa Villiers: Over 600 single track miles are planned to be electrified by Network Rail as part of the Great Western Main Line programme.

M1: Repairs and Maintenance

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when she expects all roadworks and lane closures to be completed on the M1 between London and its junction with the M6; and if she will make a statement.

Michael Penning: The following road works are currently on or expected to start on the M1 between London and its junction with the M6. Their expected completion dates are as shown in the following table.
	
		
			 Expected completion date Scheme Nature of work 
			 Spring 2013 M1 J10-13 Improvement Implementation of Dynamic Hard Shoulder running with improvements to junctions 11 and 12 and additional maintenance works where required. 
			 May 2013 M1 J19Catthorpe Viaduct Viaduct replacement—current structure at end of life. 
			 18 April 2012 M1 North of J17 (Southbound) Drainage and subsidence works. 
			 30 April 2012 M1 J17-J16 (Southbound) Barrier renewal. 
			 25 March 2012 M1 J17-18 (Northbound) Barrier Renewal. 
			 25 March 2012 M1 North of Junction 16 Drainage and subsidence works. 
			 27 March 2012 M1 between Junctions 18-20 Safety work (white line and stud renewal) due to start on 19 March 2012. 
			 29 June 2012 M1 between Junctions 12 and 13 Bridge parapet renewals due to start on 2 April 2012.

Motor Vehicles: Smoking

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will amend the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) (Amendment) (No.4) Regulations 2003 (SI 2003/2695) to introduce the same penalties for smoking whilst driving a vehicle as those for using a mobile phone whilst driving a vehicle; and if she will make a statement.

Michael Penning: We have no proposals to introduce the same penalties for smoking while driving a vehicle as for using a hand-held mobile phone while driving a vehicle. There are many potential distractions while driving and it remains the driver's responsibility to drive safely at all times. The police use the existing 'failing to have proper control' offence under Section 41(d) of the Road Traffic Act 1988, to deal with those who are distracted while driving. This attracts similar penalties to the specific offence related to driving while using a hand-held mobile phone.

Piracy: Somalia

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent assessment her Department has made of the potential for use of BAE's laser system to prevent piracy off the coast of Somalia.

Michael Penning: The Department for Transport has examined the capability of commercially available laser dazzling systems in a cross cutting technology review which was carried out in January 2008. The use of such technologies is a decision for individual shipping companies.
	The Department for Transport recommends and promotes the adoption of the measures in Best Management Practices for Protection against Somalia Based Piracy (BMP4).
	The Government have also changed their policy to allow the use of armed private security companies as an additional layer of protection where necessary and in December 2011 issued “Interim guidance to UK flagged shipping on the use of armed guards to defend against the threat of piracy in exceptional circumstances”.

Road Traffic Control: Advertising

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  whether she plans to place requirements on (a) local authorities, (b) utility companies, (c) the Highways Agency, (d) property developers and (e) other businesses if the requirement to place traffic regulation orders in local papers is lifted;
	(2)  what representations she has received on advertising traffic regulation orders;
	(3)  how many traffic regulation orders were placed in local newspapers by (a) utility companies, (b) the Highways Agency, (c) local authorities, (d) property developers and (e) other businesses in the latest period for which figures are available.

Norman Baker: Traffic Orders are made and advertised by the traffic authority—a local authority or the Highways Agency—although in the case of local authorities, frequently following a request from a utility company or other business.
	The three sets of draft regulations published alongside the consultation document include requirements for the traffic authority to publicise the traffic order in such ways as they consider appropriate for the purpose of informing persons likely to be affected. Guidance on how to do this would be published, a draft of which was also provided with the consultation document. The traffic authority would still be able to choose to place advertisements in local newspapers.
	The 12-week consultation period is due to end on 23 April. Following the conclusion of the consultation period, all responses will be summarised, and a Government response will be published.
	In 2011, the Highways Agency placed approximately 3,178 advertisements for 1,681 Traffic Orders. All Traffic Orders are currently advertised twice, but in some cases, an advertisement will include more than one traffic order. Equivalent information for local authorities is not held centrally.

TREASURY

Financial Services: Land Use

Hilary Benn: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to deal with land banking for housing.

Chloe Smith: The planning system currently overly restricts the supply of land and can make land release unpredictable. Limited land supply means that competition can be focussed on land acquisition.
	This Government are making radical changes to the planning system ensuring they do everything they can to support long-term sustainable economic growth. This will open up more land for development and reduce the incentive to hold on to land for longer periods.

Income Tax

Robert Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the number of Scottish taxpayers who benefited from the increase in the personal allowance of income tax in 2011-12; and if he will estimate the likely number of Scottish taxpayers who will benefit from the increase in 2012-13.

David Gauke: The June 2010 Budget announced a £1,000 cash increase in the personal allowance for under 65s to £7,475 in 2011-12 (£820 above the previous Government's plans), with the benefits focused on individuals on low and middle incomes through accompanying changes to the basic rate limit and national insurance upper earnings and profit limits.
	In 2011-12, the Government estimate that 22.6 million basic rate taxpayers will benefit in 2011-12, of which 2.0 million are Scottish taxpayers.
	The 2011 Budget announced a £630 cash increase in the personal allowance for under 65s to £8,105 in 2012-13 (£240 above indexation), with an equivalent reduction in the basic rate limit to leave the higher rate threshold unchanged.
	In 2012-13, the Government estimates that 25 million taxpayers will benefit, of which 2.2 million are Scottish taxpayers.
	These estimates are based on the 2007-08 Survey of Personal Incomes, projected using economic assumptions consistent with the Office for Budget Responsibility's March 2011 economic and fiscal outlook.

Income Tax: Tax Rates and Bands

Tim Farron: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  if he will estimate the number of local government staff in each (a) region and (b) local authority area who will no longer be eligible to pay income tax once the income tax threshold is set at £10,000;
	(2)  if he will estimate the number of fire fighters in each (a) region and (b) local authority area who will no longer be eligible to pay income tax once the income tax threshold is set at £10,000.

David Gauke: The increase in the personal allowance for those aged under 65 by £1,000 in 2011-12 and by £630 in 2012-13 is estimated to remove 1.1 million individuals out of income tax altogether.
	These estimates are based on the 2007-08 Survey of Personal Incomes data projected to 2011-12 and 2012-13 in line with the Office for Budget Responsibility's March 2011 forecast assumptions.
	The information requested is not available specifically for either local government staff or fire fighters.
	The Government are committed to supporting lower and middle income earners by raising the personal allowance to £10,000, and removing the lowest income individuals out of income tax. Decisions on future changes in the personal allowance will be taken as part of the annual Budget process in the context of the wider public finances.

Income Tax: Tax Rates and Bands

Dan Rogerson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  if he will estimate the number of (a) teachers and (b) teaching assistants in each (i) region and (ii) local authority area who will no longer be eligible to pay income tax once the income tax threshold is set at £10,000;
	(2)  if he will estimate the number of (a) teachers and (b) teaching assistants in each (i) region and (ii) local authority area who will no longer be eligible to pay income tax following the increase in the personal allowance in April 2012;
	(3)  what estimate he has made of the number of (a) teachers and (b) teaching assistants who will benefit from an increase in their income tax personal allowance in 2012-13;
	(4)  if he will estimate the number of (a) teachers and (b) teaching assistants who benefited from an increase in their income tax personal allowance in 2011-12.

David Gauke: The June 2010 Budget announced a £1,000 cash increase in the personal allowance for under 65s to £7,475 in 2011-12 (£820 above the previous Government's plans), with the benefits focused on individuals on low and middle incomes through accompanying changes to the basic rate limit and national insurance upper earnings and profit limits.
	The 2011 Budget announced a £630 cash increase in the personal allowance for under 65s to £8,105 in 2012-13 (£240 above indexation), with an equivalent reduction in the basic rate limit to leave the higher rate threshold unchanged.
	As a result of these measures, the Government estimates that 22.6 million basic rate taxpayers will benefit in 2011-12, among which 830,000 of the lowest income taxpayers will be removed from tax altogether.
	In 2012-13 the Government estimate that 25 million taxpayers will benefit, among which 260,000 of the lowest income taxpayers will be removed from tax altogether.
	These estimates are based on the 2007-08 Survey of Personal Incomes, projected using economic assumptions consistent with the Office for Budget Responsibility's March 2011 economic and fiscal outlook.
	The information requested is not available specifically for teachers or teaching assistants.
	The Government are committed to supporting lower and middle income earners by raising the personal allowance to £10,000, and removing the lowest income individuals out of income tax. Decisions on future changes in the personal allowance will be taken as part of the annual Budget process in the context of the wider public finances.

Inheritance Tax

John Stevenson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what value of inheritance tax collected was in (a) 2007-08, (b) 2008-09, (c) 2009-10 and (d) 2010-11;
	(2)  how many officials of HM Revenue and Customs are employed in the collection of inheritance tax.

David Gauke: Receipts from inheritance tax in 2007-08, 2008-09, 2009-10 and 2010-11 are published in the National Statistics table “HM Revenue & Custom Receipts” available from the HMRC website at;
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/tax_receipts/tax-receipts-and-taxpayers.pdf
	As at the end of February 2012, there were 512 officials employed in the collection of taxes relating to trusts and estates. This includes other taxes as well as inheritance tax (IHT) and the numbers dedicated solely to collect IHT cannot be split out from the total.

McKinsey and Company

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much his Department paid to McKinsey and Company in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12; and if he will make a statement.

Chloe Smith: The Department has not made any payments to McKinsey during 2010-11 or 2011-12.

Pensions

Sandra Osborne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the number of people affected by the Government Actuary Department's decision to reduce the limit of withdrawals from income drawdown pension schemes from 120 per cent. to 100 per cent.; how many such people will be affected by more than a 17 per cent. reduction; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  if he will consider putting in place special arrangements for people who are being financially affected by the Government Actuary Department's decision to reduce the limit of withdrawals from income drawdown pension schemes from 120 per cent. to 100 per cent., particularly to those who are being affected by an income withdrawal of more than 17 per cent. lower than under the previous limit.

Mark Hoban: To improve flexibility for individuals while ensuring that pension savings provide a sustainable income over an individual's lifetime, the Government have made income drawdown (now known as “capped drawdown”) available throughout the whole of an individual's retirement, with a single annual withdrawal limit equivalent to 100% of the value of a comparable annuity. This responded to long-standing concerns from savers and pension providers that the previous rules were unnecessarily restrictive after reaching the age of 75.
	The Government estimated in the Taxes Information and Impact Note (TUN) published on 9 December 2010 that there were up to 200,000 individuals with drawdown arrangements and a considerably larger number of individuals who could potentially benefit from not being required to purchase an annuity by the age of 75. The TUN entitled “Removing the effective requirement to annuitise by age 75” is published on the HMRC website at
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/budget-updates/autumn-tax/tiin2955.pdf
	There are a number of factors which will influence the maximum annual income which individuals can withdraw from their pension pot, along with the Government's recent reforms to remove the requirement to annuitise at age 75. These include:
	The yield on UK 15 year gilts at the time of an individual's investment review—gilt yields are set by the market and are currently at a historic low,
	Investment returns, which may be depressed as a result of current economic conditions; and
	The individual's own withdrawals over the period since their last review, so leaving a reduced capital pot from which to draw down.

Revenue and Customs: Telford

David Wright: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many formal documented one-to-one meetings took place between HM Revenue and Customs staff and their managers as part of the estate rationalisation process in Telford.

David Gauke: When an office in HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is proposed for closure, feasibility work, including one-to-one meetings between affected staff and their managers, is undertaken before a final decision is made.
	As part of the reduction in HMRC's estate to meet the spending review efficiencies, two staff at Hollinswood, Telford, had formal documented one-to-one meetings prior to the decision to close the office in 2012-13. 23 staff declined a meeting.
	Kelsall House, Telford, is one of the offices recently proposed for closure during 2014-15. Feasibility work is still being undertaken and, to date, 66 one-to-one meetings have been undertaken while 43 staff have declined.

Revenue and Customs: Telford

David Wright: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many HM Revenue and Customs staff will be required to move office if Kelsall House in Telford is closed; and whether any staff in Reynolds House in Telford will have to move as part of the rebalancing of the workforce against available accommodation.

David Gauke: Kelsall House, Telford is one of 17 HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) offices which have been proposed for closure during 2014-15. There are currently 122 staff in the building and if closure goes ahead, the intention is that they will relocate to either Abbey House or Reynolds House, both in Telford. However, this may alter depending on individual circumstances or on changes to business plans after the feasibility process is completed.
	The current feasibility process will also look at whether there is sufficient space and that will be a factor in making decisions. There may be some movements of staff between the buildings depending on individual business needs.

Tobacco: Smuggling

Stephen Williams: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the expenditure incurred by his Department on salaries for full-time equivalent staff allocated to tackling tobacco smuggling (a) in total, (b) engaged in detection, (c) engaged in investigations and (d) working on intelligence matters in 2010-11;
	(2)  what expenditure HM Revenue and Customs has incurred in operating x-ray scanners to tackle tobacco smuggling in 2010-11;
	(3)  what expenditure HM Revenue and Customs incurred on Government publicity campaigns to prevent tobacco smuggling in 2010-11;
	(4)  how much HM Revenue and Customs spent on the Tackling Tobacco Smuggling strategy in 2010-11; how many of his Department's staff worked on implementing the strategy in 2010-11; and how many of those were engaged in (a) detection, (b) intelligence-gathering and analysis, (c) investigations and (d) the provision of legal advice.

Chloe Smith: It is not possible to provide a detailed breakdown of overall expenditure from allocated funds in the format requested.
	The full-time equivalents of staff employed on tackling tobacco smuggling in detection, intelligence gathering and investigation for 2010-11 are shown in the following table:
	
		
			 2010-11 
			  Number 
			 Detection 130 
			 Investigation 399 
			 Intelligence 172 
			 Total 701 
		
	
	These figures represent HM Revenue and Customs’ (HMRC) best estimate of the way resources were used in the year specified, bearing in mind that anti-fraud and smuggling activity often covers a number of different taxes and commodities.
	Expenditure incurred on salaries for full-time equivalent staff allocated to tobacco smuggling is shown in the following table:
	
		
			 2010-11 
			  £ 
			 Detection 5,504,241 
			 Investigation 20,270,831 
			 Intelligence 6,152,047 
			 Total 31,927,119 
		
	
	HMRC is unable to disaggregate time spent on the provision of legal advice on tobacco from time spent on other advisory work.
	HMRC incurred no expenditure on targeted media campaigns to support their anti-tobacco smuggling strategy in 2010-11.
	The UK Border Agency is responsible for X-ray scanner provision.

VAT: Charities

Bob Russell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he plans to take to relieve charities of the value added tax applied on shared services if they do not qualify for the VAT cost sharing exemption included in Finance Bill 2012.

Chloe Smith: The Government are introducing the EU VAT cost sharing exemption into UK legislation in Finance Bill 2012. HMRC will be working with charities and other interested parties to produce detailed guidance on the exemption's operation which will be published before the legislation takes effect. Although the objective is to make the exemption useful for charities and other organisations, its application is restricted by the requirements of European VAT legislation.

Welfare Tax Credits

Nick Brown: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the cost to the public purse is of tax credit payments to households with incomes below (a) 60 per cent., (b) 50 per cent. and (c) 40 per cent of the median.

David Gauke: This information would be available only at disproportionate cost.

Working Tax Credit

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he plans to bring forward the draft regulations to implement his proposed changes to working tax credits relating to couples working between 16 and 24 hours.

David Gauke: The Tax Credits (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2012 No. 848 were made and laid before Parliament on 16 March 2012.

Working Tax Credit

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 10 January 2012, Official Report, column 72W, on working tax credit, for those parliamentary constituencies for which no figures were given, whether this was because (a) no couples fell into category and (b) no figures were available at the time of answering; and if he will provide figures where they have become available since his answer.

David Gauke: The figures provided in the in the answer of 10 January 2012, Official Report, column 72W, were drawn from a sample of administrative data and are therefore not statistically robust below a certain sample size. In line with our practice for publishing National Statistics, estimates for any constituencies where the sample figure is less than 25 have not been given and, as a result, figures for a number of constituencies were presented as “-”.
	Further information on methodology and sampling uncertainty can be found in Appendix B of “Child and Working Tax Credits statistics December 2011”, available at
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/cwtc-dec2011.pdf

HEALTH

Alcoholic Drinks

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what meetings (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department have had on alcohol minimum pricing with (i) members of the beverage alcohol manufacturing industry, (ii) supermarkets, (iii) pubs and other members of the on-trade and (iv) members of health and other alcohol NGOs since September 2011.

Anne Milton: Details of all official ministerial meetings with external parties are published quarterly in arrears on the Department's website. Data from 1 January 2010 up to the end of June 2011 can be found at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Aboutus/MinistersandDepartmentLeaders/Departmentdirectors/DH_110759
	From a search of officials' diaries, the issue of alcohol minimum pricing was discussed at meetings with:
	the Association of Chief Police Officers, Licensing and Harm Reduction working group, on 8 September 2011;
	the Alcohol Health Alliance, on 12 September 2011;
	a round table organised by the British Liver Trust and the UK Public Health Association, on 13 September 2011;
	NHS Southampton, Hampshire, Isle of Wight and Portsmouth Alcohol event held in Portsmouth, on 9 December 2011;
	Ian Gilmore, Royal College of Physicians, on 16 January 2012; and
	Paul Lincoln, National Heart Forum, on 8 March 2012.

Breasts: Plastic Surgery

Mark Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department has taken steps to put pressure on Transform cosmetic clinic to (a) remove and (b) replace, free of charge, PIP breast implants sold by that clinic to its patients.

Simon Burns: When we published the interim report of Sir Bruce Keogh's expert group on PIP implants on 6 January we made clear that the national health service would remove and replace PIP implants for any NHS patient if, informed by an assessment of clinical need, risk or the impact of unresolved concerns, the woman with her doctor decides that it is right to do so. We also made clear our expectation that private cosmetic surgery organisations should offer the same aftercare to their patients, and many have already done so. We have repeated this message on many occasions, most recently in the press statement issued last Friday. We understand that Transform now offer their former patients a free consultation, imaging where required, and free removal of implants whether or not there is clinical evidence that the implant has ruptured or leaked, but will charge at cost price for replacement of the implants.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Health Services

Ian Paisley Jnr: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much has been spent on the treatment and care of those with myalgic encephalomyelitis in the last five years; and how much has been spent on research into the condition in that period.

Paul Burstow: Information on the expenditure for the treatment and healthcare of people with chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME) is not collected centrally.
	Expenditure by the Department on research on CFS/ME through research programmes, research centres and units, and research training awards is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  £ million 
			 2006-07 0.1 
			 2007-08 0.0 
			 2008-09 0.1 
			 2009-10 0.2 
			 2010-11 0.3 
		
	
	Expenditure by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Clinical Research Network (CRN) on research into CFS/ME cannot be disaggregated from total CRN expenditure.
	Prior to the establishment of the NIHR in April 2006, the main part of the Department's total health research expenditure was devolved to and managed by national health service organisations. From April 2006 to March 2009, transitional research funding was allocated to these organisations at reducing levels. The organisations have accounted for their use of the allocations they have received from the Department in an annual research and development report. The reports identify total, aggregated expenditure on some disease areas, but do not provide details of spend on research on CFS/ME.

Coeliac Disease: Health Education

Ian Paisley Jnr: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance his Department offers to people with coeliac disease on (a) diet management and (b) obtaining gluten free food.

Anne Milton: There is a wide range of gluten free products available from supermarkets, health food stores and on prescription. Information on managing diet and obtaining gluten free foods is available on the NHS Choices website and that of the Food Standards Agency (FSA).
	The FSA, which has responsibility for food aspects of food allergy and intolerance, works closely with Coeliac UK and health professionals to ensure that patients are provided with the relevant information on food labelling to manage their diet. The FSA has recently collaborated with Coeliac UK to produce a leaflet for consumers to help them understand changes in the way gluten free foods are labelled and advise them on how to buy food which is safe for them to eat. The FSA has also produced a general leaflet on buying food for those with a food allergy or intolerance, including coeliac disease, which guides them through the steps they need to take when buying food and eating out.

Diabetes: Medical Equipment

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will work with manufacturers of testing strips for diabetes to bring forward a standard for testing strips to increase interoperability between test strips and meters.

Simon Burns: Once manufacturers of medical devices have demonstrated their products' conformance with the medical devices directive and consequently earn the right to place the CE conformity mark on their products, either through self-declaration for the lowest class of medical device or from an officially accredited European notified body for the higher class of medical devices, they are entitled to place their product on the European Union market. There is currently no requirement in the regulations for manufacturers to standardise different devices, or components of the devices, to make them interoperable with devices from different manufacturers that perform the same function.
	The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has been in regular contact with the two companies who produce diabetes test meters with similar size test strips, about the issue of problems with users trying to interchange, their glucose test strips between their testing meters. An MHRA investigation concluded that labelling for both companies' meters and strips is clear regarding intended use. However they took the precautionary measure of reinforcing the information about compatibility issues to users/health care professionals.
	One of the companies has undertaken a campaign to remind users of the correct strip/meter combinations to use. They have also identified a means by which their system would reject the other company's test strips. However this would involve considerable extra cost for both manufacturers and implementation of such a change would be a commercial decision for both to take. To date the other company have said that they will monitor the situation.
	In addition to this, the MHRA also provided an addition to the EMIS drug database (which includes prescribing information and product availability for general practitioner practices and health care professionals), whereby a message reminding users to confirm that test strips are compatible with the meter in question, will appear on first prescribing any glucose meter test strips.
	In September 2006 the MHRA issued the One Liners (a sheet aimed at health care professionals, which highlights problems with the use of medical devices) Issue 44, which has been placed in the Library.
	On 12 February 2008 the MHRA issued the ‘Medical Device Alert’ (MDA/2008/006), which has been placed in the Library.
	In February 2011 the MHRA issued the ‘One Liner Issue 83’, which has been placed in the Library.

Drugs: Prices

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he next plans to review the pharmaceutical price regulation scheme.

Simon Burns: As set out in the Government's response to the consultation ‘A new value-based approach to the pricing of new medicines’, the Government expect the negotiations on the new pricing arrangements for branded medicines (including successor arrangements to the current pharmaceutical price regulation scheme (PPRS) which will apply to the vast majority of branded medicines placed on the market before 2014) to begin this year. Our intention is that the new arrangements would be introduced from 1 January 2014.

Drugs: Schools

David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Education on teaching of the dangers of drug abuse in schools.

Anne Milton: Ministers in this Department and their counterparts in the Department for Education worked closely to develop the plans in the Government's drug strategy for schools-based drug prevention work and continue regular discussions to review progress and identify scope for further action. They will also work together in developing plans for personal social and health education, which take account of the responses to the consultation last year.

Health and Wellbeing Boards

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of the likely effect of health and well-being boards on the role and influence of public governors in NHS foundation trusts.

Paul Burstow: The Government's vision is for health and wellbeing boards to be the local system leader for health and wellbeing. Through health and wellbeing boards, councils, commissioners across the health system and local communities will work and lead collaboratively to improve health and care services, joining them up around the needs of local people, and improving the health and wellbeing of local populations.
	Health and wellbeing boards will bring together councils, clinical commissioners and local communities to assess local needs and priorities, and develop a strategy in response to these. Through involving democratically elected councillors, representatives of patients and the public through local Healthwatch, and wider local communities, the boards will help put local people at the heart of commissioning decisions. It is for boards locally to determine how they engage with wider partners, including foundation trusts and their governors as well as other providers, who have a crucial contribution to delivering the strategy. Local Healthwatch will also need to make their own local arrangements with other key forums for patient and public involvement, such as foundation trust members, and feed in their views to the health and wellbeing boards work.

McKinsey and Company

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department paid to McKinsey and Company in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: The total expenditure with McKinsey and Company by the Department (core Department and Connecting for Health) since May 2010 for the 2010-11 financial year was £139,000; and for the 2011-12 financial year to end of January 2012 was £224,920. The figures are based on information held in the Department's business management system on purchase order amount receipted.
	In addition, the Department has paid for consultancy services from McKinsey and Company to the value of £220,000 for analytical support for provider development. This work was procured by NHS London on behalf of the Department in May 2011.
	McKinsey held a contract with the Department under the previous Administration to a value of £5.2 million. The final payment under this contract was made to McKinsey in May 2010.

Mental Illness: Young People

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people under 18 have been held under the Mental Health Act in England in each of the last five years.

Paul Burstow: Details of in-patients detained in adult mental health services under the Mental Health Act are included in the NHS information Centre's Mental Health Bulletin for 2011. This gives the number of children and young people detained under, the Mental Health Act in each year as in the following table.
	
		
			  Number 
			 2006-07 398 
			 2007-08 438 
			 2008-09 324 
			 2009-10 359 
			 2010-11 338

Mental Illness: Young People

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients under the age of 18 spent time on adult psychiatric wards in England in each of the last 10 years; and how long on average they spent in such wards.

Paul Burstow: The information is not held centrally in the form requested. However, the number of bed days for children on adult psychiatric wards were collected from 2005-06 (until 2010-11) onwards. These are given in the following table.
	
		
			  Bed days 
			 2005-06 29,306 
			 2006-07 18,667 
			 2007-08 17,093 
			 2008-09 12,687 
			 2009-10 6,072 
			 2010-11 5,166 
			 Notes: 1. Data on this issue was first collected in 2005-06 but data up until Quarter 3 of 2005-06 are not comparable with the data for Quarter 4 2005-06 onwards as information was collected on a different basis. 2. From 2008-09 onwards it was not mandatory for national health service foundation trusts to submit returns on bed days for children on adult psychiatric wards and Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services wards but they did so on a voluntary basis. Source: Vital Signs Monitoring Returns from providers

Midwives

Dan Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Hackney North and Stoke Newington of 20 February 2012, Official Report, column 701W, on midwives, what proportion of people completing midwifery courses started as midwives in the NHS in each year since 2002-03; and what other careers such students go on to in each such year.

Anne Milton: The Higher Education Statistics Agency is the official agency for the collection, analysis and dissemination of quantitative information about higher education.
	The following table shows the percentage of midwifery graduates who started work as midwives in the national health service within six months of graduation in each year from 2002-03 to 2009-10.
	
		
			   Of which: 
			 Year of graduation Graduates from midwifery courses (1) Working (2)  in midwifery Percentage working in midwifery (3) 
			 2002^03 1,030 870 84.4 
			 2003-04 1,245 1,000 80.3 
			 2004-05 1,135 910 80.1 
			 2005-06 1,355 1,085 79.9 
			 2006-07 1,365 1,055 77.2 
			 2007-08 1,485 1,180 79.4 
			 2008-09 1,425 1,135 79.6 
			 2009-10 1,520 1,245 81.7 
			 (1) Covers graduates of all domiciles from full-time and part-time postgraduate and undergraduate courses. (2) Covers full-time, part-time and voluntary employment and work and further study. (3) Based on the Standard Occupational Classification. Notes: 1. Numbers are rounded up or down to the nearest multiple of five, .so components may not sum to totals. Percentages are based on unrounded figures and are given to one decimal place. 2. Subject information is shown as Full Person Equivalents (FPEs) in the table. FPEs are derived by splitting student instances between the different subjects that make up their course aim. Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education (DLHE) Survey 
		
	
	Further information regarding graduates from midwifery courses who were working six months after graduation, but not working as midwives has been placed in the Library.

Milk: Standards

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the likely risks posed by unpasteurized milk obtained from (a) resellers and (b) farmers.

Anne Milton: We are advised by the Food Standards Agency (FSA), which has responsibility for food safety matters, that the Government's Advisory Committee on the Microbiological Safety of Food (ACMSF) has assessed the risk posed by unpasteurised or raw drinking milk on four separate occasions, most recently in 2011. The ACMSF assessed the risks of unpasteurised milk in relation to foodborne disease, but did not differentiate between the risks posed by different routes of sales. The ACMSF reports are available at:
	http://acmsf.food.gov.uk/acmsfreps/acmsfreports
	The FSA board will be discussing a paper on the microbiological safety of raw drinking milk at their next open board meeting on 20 March. The board will consider whether a review of the current controls governing the sale and marketing of raw drinking milk and cream is required.

Multiple Sclerosis: Health Services

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of the findings of the Royal College of Physicians' national audit of services for people with multiple sclerosis 2011.

Paul Burstow: The Department has made no assessment of the findings of the National Audit of Services for People with Multiple Sclerosis, produced by the Royal college of Physicians. Responsibility for commissioning and providing services to meet the needs of people living with multiple sclerosis lies with primary care trusts.
	The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence has published a clinical guideline for multiple sclerosis. This guideline provides comprehensive evidence-based information on the benefits and limitations of the various methods of diagnosing, treating and caring for people with multiple sclerosis. This helps health professionals and patients decide on the most appropriate treatment.

NHS: Drugs

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many Wholesale Dealer's Licences are valid; how many such licences were valid 12 months ago; and what assessment he has made of the reasons for the change.

Simon Burns: The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) an executive agency of the Department, regulates manufacturers and wholesale dealers of medicinal products for human use in the United Kingdom on behalf of the UK Licensing Authority.
	Records held on the MHRA's main data repository for information on wholesale dealer's licences has identified that 1,711 licensed wholesale dealers are authorised to wholesale deal in prescription only medicines for human use.
	While this data repository for licences is not structured in a way to establish how many valid licences there were 12 months ago, figures obtained from the data repository in April 2011 show that there were 1,563 valid wholesale dealer licences.
	The Licensing Authority regulates in the interest of public health. It is not a competition regulator and does not set a limit on the number of UK licensed wholesale dealers.
	However licensed wholesale dealers must meet statutory safety standards. It has not made an assessment of the reason for this change.

Pancreatic Cancer: Health Services

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will increase the amount spent on pancreatic cancer research.

Paul Burstow: The Department is fully committed to clinical and applied research into treatment and cures for cancer. The Department's National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) welcomes high quality funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including pancreatic cancer. These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the scientific quality of the proposals made. In all disease areas, the amount of NIHR funding depends on the volume and quality of scientific activity.
	The United Kingdom has the highest national per capita rate of cancer trial participation in the world.
	The NIHR Clinical Research Network (CRN) is currently hosting 16 trials and other well-designed studies in pancreatic cancer that are in set-up or recruiting patients. Details can be found on the UK CRN portfolio database at:
	http://public.ukcrn.org.uk/search
	In August 2011, the Government announced £800 million investment over five years in a series of NIHR biomedical research centres and units. This includes £61.5 million funding for the Royal Marsden/Institute of Cancer Research Biomedical Research Centre, and £6.5 million funding for the Liverpool biomedical research unit in gastrointestinal disease (which will have a major focus on pancreatic cancer).

Prescription Drugs

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if he will publish the criteria by which prices paid to UK-based manufacturers of drugs prescribed under the NHS are set;
	(2)  what measures he has put in place to control the price at which prescription drugs are sold by manufacturers for use by UK patients.

Simon Burns: The Government regulate the prices of branded medicines through the Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme, which sets the national health service list price (i.e. the reimbursement price to community pharmacies). It is a maximum price as hospitals and community pharmacies may be able to purchase medicines at a discount.
	The Department does not set the prices paid by pharmacies to manufacturers/wholesalers for generic drugs. The prices of generic medicines are set by the market. Generic manufacturers have the freedom to set the prices of their products. However, this price cannot be set higher than the price of the branded equivalent at the point the patent expired.
	Community pharmacies purchase the drugs and appliances they provide from suppliers (manufacturers or wholesalers). Community pharmacies providing services under the Pharmaceutical Service Regulations 2005 are paid for drugs and appliances dispensed in primary care in accordance with the Drug Tariff, which is published each month and sets out Secretary of State payment Determinations.

Prescription Drugs

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will commission a formal review of the prescription drugs supply chain; and if he will bring forward legislative proposals to require those involved in the supply of prescription drugs to take steps to deliver such drugs to UK pharmacies within a set time period.

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 1 March 2012, Official Report, column 477W, on NHS: drugs, what his policy is on bringing in regulations to improve the supply of branded medicines if the published guidelines do not improve supply.

Simon Burns: We are not currently proposing to undertake a formal review of the prescription drugs supply chain but we continue to work collaboratively with supply chain stakeholders to ensure patients continue to obtain their medicines quickly and conveniently. The Government are cautious about increasing the regulatory burden on the supply chain.

Procurement

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of contracts issued by (a) his Department and (b) agencies for which he is responsible were rewarded to small and medium-sized enterprises in the latest period for which figures are available.

Simon Burns: The Department, excluding Connecting for Health, awarded 9% of its contracts by value in the period between April and December 2011 directly to small and medium-sized enterprises.
	To conduct a similar search and analysis for Connecting for Health would incur a disproportionate cost due to the nature of their information technology (IT) systems.
	To conduct a similar search and analysis for the Department's agency (the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency) would incur a disproportionate cost due to the nature of their IT systems.

Self-harm: Young People

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate his Department has made of the number of children and young people of each gender and of each age who committed acts of self-harm in England in 2011.

Paul Burstow: While figures are collected on the number of hospital admissions and the number of accident and emergency (A&E) attendances for self-harm, it is not possible to determine directly the overall number of children and young people that commit self-harm. There are no figures on those treated in a primary care setting or those who do not seek or require medical attention.
	Details of the numbers of males and females of each age from 0 to 18 admitted to hospital as a result of deliberate self-harm between 2001-02 and 2010-11 as well as the numbers seen in A&E for the same reason between 2007-08 and 2010-11 are in the tables. The figures show that 17,694 children and young people aged 0-18 were admitted to hospital in 2010-11 as a result of deliberate self-harm and that 79% of them were female. They also show that of the 18,253 children seen in A&E as a result of deliberate self-harm, 68% were girls. These figures should not be added together since not all attenders at A&E are admitted to hospital and not all hospital in-patients were admitted via A&E.
	
		
			 The total finished in-patient admission episodes (1)  for intentional self-harm (2)  by sex (including unknown) and age (under 19) for each year 2001-02 to 2010-11. Additionally, total A&E attendances for intentional self-harm (3)  by sex (including unknown) and age (under 19) for each year 2007-08 to 2010-11—Activity in English NHS hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector 
			 In - patients 
			 Sex Age 2010-11 2009-10 2008-09 2007-08 2006-07 2005-06 2004-05 2003-04 2002-03 2001-02 
			 Total for ages 0-18 (excluding unknown)  17,694 16,293 16,240 17,066 15,965 15,873 13,653 13,345 11,898 11,889 
			 Males 0 4 4 2 5 4 6 2 4 2 8 
			 Males 1 11 7 14 12 20 19 18 12 21 15 
			 Males 2 13 12 22 16 25 19 24 22 21 25 
			 Males 3 10 7 7 21 11 11 11 5 11 11 
			 Males 4 3 3. 6 5 5 4 4 7 3 9 
			 Males 5 6 3 1 2 5 3 4 7 2 6 
			 Males 6 4 7 4 2 3 1 3 4 4 3 
			 Males 7 4 12 8 1 1 3 2 6 3 5 
			 Males 8 7 3 9 8 8 10 5 10 10 8 
			 Males 9 6 13 8 9 11 IS 7 23 9 15 
		
	
	
		
			 Males 10 8 15 18 16 19 19 16 21 27 32 
			 Males 11 25 35 26 27 38 44 49 58 54 52 
			 Males 12 64 47 82 88 85 81 95 108 97 91 
			 Males 13 100 131 142 145 140 155 174 201 156 181 
			 Males 14 284 222 278 344 343 359 292 337 263 327 
			 Males 15 567 503 532 560 606 533 435 499 469 441 
			 Males 16 655 601 604 618 561 522 495 448 389 394 
			 Males 17 831 822 773 756 660 718 587 500 442 506 
			 Males 18 1,176 1,021 1,071 1,033 990 915 700 653 582 706 
			 Females 0 3 3 5 3 8 3 5 4 10 7 
			 Females 1 11 12 6 16 9 23 10 20 12 16 
			 Females 2 14 17 18 8 23 17 11 21 18 19 
			 Females 3 10 9 5 3 6 9 7 12 7 13 
			 Females 4 4 2 3 5 3 5 3 3 6 7 
			 Females 5 3 5 5 4 1  2 3 3 3 
			 Females 6 3 3 3  1 4 4 3 3  
			 Females 7 8 1 1 6 7 4 3 3 5 3 
			 Females 8 3 4 2 4 7 6 4 9 4 7 
			 Females 9 4 1 8 10 11 12 2 20 4 6 
			 Females 10 7 15 14 13 12 11 19 18 13 15 
			 Females 11 44 45 56 54 60 87 58 73 75 69 
			 Females 12 265 220 237 337 286 308 293 318 306 248 
			 Females 13 900 859 920 1,048 956 1,062 962 1,007 899 813 
			 Females 14 2,172 1,917 1,998 2,069 2,079 2,227 1,973 1,980 1,890 1,678 
			 Females 15 2,962 2,749 2,640 2,960 2,828 2,791 2,507 2,651 2,377 2,198 
			 Females 16 2,500 2,319 2,254 2,427 2,130 2,060 1,780 1,570 1,442 1,457 
			 Females 17 2,491 2,321 2,229 2,195 2,013 1,913 1,542 1,419 1,139 1,217 
			 Females 18 2,512 2,323 2,229 2,236 1,990 1,894 1,545 1,286 1,120 1,278 
			 Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), The NHS information Centre for health and social care. 
		
	
	
		
			 A&E 
			 Sex Age 2010-11 2009-10 2008-09 2007-08 
			 Total for ages 0-18 (excluding unknown)  18,253 17,614 17,122 16,854 
			 Males 0 43 34 42 38 
			 Males 1 77 114 91 94 
			 Males 2 112 108 111 93 
			 Males 3 73 77 69 72 
			 Males 4 28 56 58 39 
			 Males 5 22 53 35 27 
			 Males 6 26 23 35 27 
			 Males 7 26 17 28 28 
			 Males 8 24 20 22 20 
			 Males 9 30 28 21 28 
			 Males 10 40 32 41 33 
			 Males 11 61 48 58 57 
			 Males 12 129 103 125 130 
			 Males 13 203 205 219 224 
			 Males 14 353 386 379 388 
			 Males 15 620 659 660 704 
			 Males 16 949 850 935 884 
			 Males 17 1,284 1,281 1,181 1,247 
			 Males 18 1,800 1,690 1,693 1,502 
			 Females 0 28 29 36 34 
			 Females 1 85 98 92 96 
			 Females 2 83 90 89 86 
			 Females 3 43 50 51 61 
			 Females 4 26 39 35 42 
			 Females 5 21 20 24 28 
			 Females 6 19 16 16 29 
			 Females 7 18 13 21 25 
		
	
	
		
			 Females 8 11 16 17 13 
			 Females 9 25 15 13 26 
			 Females 10 21 32 30 17 
			 Females 11 39 47 46 41 
			 Females 12 163 173 167 186 
			 Females 13 588 566 548 617 
			 Females 14 1,404 1,347 1,284 1,308 
			 Females 15 1,971 1,849 1,760 1,695 
			 Females 16 2,263 2,211 2,123 2,180 
			 Females 17 2,569 2,484 2,427 2,294 
			 Females 18 2,976 2,735 2,540 2,441 
			 (1 ) Finished admission episodesA finished admission episode (FAE) is the first period of in-patient care under one consultant within one health care provider. FAEs are counted against the year in which the admission episode finishes. Admissions do not represent the number of in-patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year. (2 ) Cause codesA supplementary code that indicates the nature of any external cause of injury, poisoning or other adverse effects. Only the first external cause code which is coded within the episode is counted in Hospital Episode Statistics (HES). ICD10 Cause codes used for Intentional self-harm are X60-84 and Y87.0 (3 ) A&E Patient GroupA code that indicates the reason for the A&E episode. Group 30 indicates those admitted for intentional self-harm A&E TreatmentTreatment is any intervention that takes place during an A&E attendance. For the financial year 2007-08, providers had the option of using one of three different treatment classifications of codes; A&E treatment codes, OPCS-4 and READ-5. For more information on these, visit HESonline: www.hesonline.nhs.uk From April 2008, all providers are mandated to use the A&E classification of treatment codes. Analysis of treatment based on A&E HES data is produced using A&E treatment codes unless stated otherwise. Providers are able to submit unlimited number of treatments for each attendance; however, only the first 12 treatment codes are available in HES. Analysis on treatment in A&E HES is based on the primary treatment code submitted, unless stated otherwise. The coverage and quality of treatment data available in 2007-08 A&E HES is poor and therefore great caution is needed before interpreting this in any way. Further information on the quality and coverage of treatment data is available in the 2007-08 A&E HES publication, which is available on HESonline: www.hesonline.nhs.uk. A&E data quality HES are compiled from data sent by a number of NHS providers across England. The NHS Information Centre for Health and Social Care liaises closely with these organisations to encourage submission of complete and valid data and seeks to minimise inaccuracies and the effect of missing and invalid data via HES processes. While this brings about improvement over time, some shortcomings remain. A&E HES data is available for the year 2007-08, which covers attendances reported between April 2007 and March 2008. The A&E HES data for 2007-08 is the first record level national A&E attendance data to be available within HES. The current coverage and quality of A&E data in HES is poor and for this reason the dataset has been labelled as “experimental”. Allowing access to this data will also help stimulate discussion and encourage trusts to improve quality for subsequent releases. The 2007-08 A&E HES publication addresses some of the key data quality and coverage issues. This report is available on HESonline: www.hesonline.nhs.uk. Assessing growth through timeHES figures are available from 1989-90 onwards. Changes to the figures over time need to be interpreted in the context of improvements in data quality and coverage (particularly in earlier years), improvements in coverage of independent sector activity (particularly from 2006-07) and changes in NHS practice. For example, apparent reductions in activity may be due to a number of procedures which may now be undertaken in outpatient settings and so no longer include in admitted patient HES data. Data qualityHES are compiled from data sent by more than 300 NHS trusts and primary care trusts in England and from some independent sector organisations for activity commissioned by the English NHS. The NHS Information Centre for health and social care liaises closely with these organisations to encourage submission of complete and valid data and seeks to minimise inaccuracies. While this brings about improvement over time, some shortcomings remain. Source: Hospital Episode Statistics {HES), The NHS Information Centre for health and social care.

Social Services: Finance

Ian Paisley Jnr: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department has considered a cap on lifetime social care payments.

Paul Burstow: The coalition agreement set out the Government's clear commitment to reforming the system of social care to provide much more control to individuals and their carers, and to ease the cost burden that they and their families face.
	This commitment to reform is why we acted quickly to set up the Commission on Funding of Care and Support, which published its report in July 2011.
	The Commission recommended a “capped cost model”, where people's lifetime care costs are limited at between £25,000 and £50,000. Once someone has accrued eligible care costs up to this level, the state would cover their remaining care costs.
	The Commission's report has formed the basis of Government's recent engagement with stakeholders. This engagement exercise examined the impact of these recommendations, and brought them together with other priorities for reform from across the social care system to look at the trade-offs between them.
	When the Commission published its report in July 2011, Government set out their commitment to publish a White Paper on social care and a progress report on funding reform in the spring—a timetable to which we remain committed.

Tobacco

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many meetings he has had with (a) people or (b) organisations (i) representing the tobacco industry and (ii) campaigning against the tobacco industry in the last 12 months.

Simon Burns: Details of all official ministerial meetings with external parties are published quarterly in arrears on the Department's website. Data from 1 January 2010 up to the end of June 2011 can be found at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Aboutus/MinistersandDepartmentLeaders/Departmentdirectors/DH_110759
	Data for July to September are due to be published shortly and data for October to December will be published in the summer.

Tobacco: Packaging

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the potential effects of introducing plain packaging of tobacco products on smoking rates in the UK;
	(2)  what research his Department has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated into the potential effects of an introduction of plain packaging of tobacco products on smoking rates.

Anne Milton: The Department will publish a consultation on tobacco packaging in spring 2012, including a consultation-stage impact assessment.
	The Department has commissioned a systematic review of the available evidence on plain packaging. The review has been supported through the Public Health Research Consortium, a network of researchers funded by the Department's Policy Research Programme, and will be made available at the same time as the consultation. The Department has also commissioned some further work on the potential effects of introducing plain packaging of tobacco products on smoking rates in the United Kingdom.
	Further assessment of the potential effects of introducing plain packaging of tobacco products on smoking rates in the UK will be made in the light of consultation on this work and responses to the consultation.

Tuberculosis: Health Services

Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what steps his Department is taking to develop patient-centred tuberculosis services;
	(2)  what steps his Department is taking to support and monitor the quality of services in primary care trusts with high incidences of tuberculosis;
	(3)  with reference to his Department's public health outcomes framework, what steps his Department is taking to increase levels of tuberculosis treatment completion for groups with lower rates of completion;
	(4)  what steps his Department is taking to ensure compliance with clinical guidelines in respect of treatment of tuberculosis.

Anne Milton: Forthcoming new guidance from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) on identifying and managing tuberculosis (TB) in hard-to-reach groups, and from the Royal College of Nursing on TB case management and cohort review, will complement existing NICE clinical guidelines, and help national health service organisations improve diagnosis, treatment and treatment completion for TB. It will also promote a more patient-centred approach.
	It is for local NHS organisations working in partnership with the Health Protection Agency (HPA), local authorities, the voluntary sector and other relevant bodies to improve treatment completion levels and ensure compliance with clinical guidelines. The HPA collates and publishes information on the epidemiology of TB and aspects of service provision to assist local NHS organisations in service planning, commissioning and provision. The Public Health Outcomes Framework indicator on TB treatment completion will further encourage local organisations to improve outcomes on treatment completion and will help track progress.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Atos Healthcare

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what payments from the public purse have been made to Atos for each year since his Department's contract with Atos has been in place.

Chris Grayling: Atos Healthcare and the Department for Work and Pensions entered into the Medical Services Agreement dated 15 March 20b5.
	DWP's contract and terms with Atos Healthcare to perform Medical Services on behalf of the Department commenced on 1 September 2005 and is ongoing.
	Payments from the public purse in respect of the DWP Medical Services Contract since 1 September 2005 are as follows:
	
		
			 Financial period £ 
			 1 September 2005 to 31 March 2006 73,300,000 
			 1 April 2006 to 31 March 2007 60,200,000 
			 1 April 2007 to 31 March 2008 70,200,000 
			 1 April 2008 to 31 March 2009 111,800,000 
			 1 April 2009 to 31 March 2010 99,100,000 
			 1 April 2010 to 31 March 2011 112,800,000 
			 1 April 2011 to 29 February 2012 (1)102,930,885 
			 (1) Year to date. 
		
	
	The figures in the table not only cover the total number of assessments undertaken across all benefits, including IB Reassessment, but also costs relating to written and verbal medical advice, fixed overheads, administrative costs, investments new technology and other service improvements.
	Since May 2010, DWP has undertaken activity to drive down Atos Healthcare costs which has achieved Value for Money (VfM) savings. The VfM savings achieved are set against a backdrop of increased volumes and the delivery of IB Reassessment, which started in April 2011. The activities to achieve these savings have included the negotiation of better deals for contract changes to reduce the price paid.

Atos Healthcare

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many complaints have been filed with his Department about the conduct of Atos.

Chris Grayling: The DWP Medical Services Contracts Correspondence Team have, since 1 January 2009 to 29 February 2012, received a total of 1,714 complaints about Atos Healthcare. Unfortunately it is not possible to state how many of these complaints were related to the “conduct of Atos”, as this is not a category that is used.
	The categories used within the correspondence team are: policy/contractual clinical findings/scrutiny; administration; HCP specific; accommodation; assessment; recording of assessments; delay to being assessed.
	To provide a response to this question would involve the undertaking of a detailed review of all these cases to ascertain how many of the complaints were related to the “conduct of Atos” and exceed the disproportionate cost limit of £800 for parliamentary questions.
	However, DWP monitors the performance of Atos Healthcare, including service delivery and the quality of the work of its health care professionals (HCPs) and this is achieved through a variety of methods, which include:
	monthly management information;
	claimant satisfaction surveys;
	feedback from complaints.
	All customer complaints received are taken seriously and are properly investigated prior to a response being issued.

Atos Healthcare

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 7 March 2012, Official Report, column 787W, on Atos Healthcare, whether he met the Chief Executive Officer of ATOS at his meetings with that company; and what was discussed at each meeting.

Chris Grayling: The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, my right hon. Friend the Member for Chingford and Woodford Green (Mr Duncan Smith), has not met with the chief executive officer of ATOS.
	However I, as the Minister responsible, have on a number of occasions and the subject discussed was Work Capability Assessments.

Employment and Support Allowance

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what his projections are for caseloads for employment and support allowance (a) Support Group and (b) Work Related Activity Group for each year for the next five years; and how those projections have changed since May 2010;
	(2)  what his projections are for benefit expenditure for employment and support allowance (a) Support Group and (b) Work Related Activity Group for each year for the next five years; and how those projections have changed since May 2010.

Chris Grayling: The information is in the following tables; the Budget 2010 forecasts were the last before May 2010; the autumn statement 2011 figures are the latest published.
	
		
			 Employment and support allowance caseloads March 2010 Budget forecasts 
			 Thousand 
			  Assessment Phase Support Group Work Related Activity Group Total 
			 2009-10 143 12 192 348 
			 2010-11 130 46 400 576 
		
	
	
		
			 Employment and support allowance caseloads out-turn and autumn statement 2011 forecasts 
			 Thousand 
			  Assessment Phase Support Group Work Related Activity Group Total 
			 2009-10 260 20 51 330 
			 2010-11 299 50 155 504 
			 2011-12 357 136 284 777 
			 2012-13 410 319 509 1,237 
			 2013-14 411 496 724 1,632 
			 2014-15 400 614 817 1,831 
			 2015-16 388 631 791 1,810 
			 2016-17 379 642 788 1,810 
		
	
	
		
			 Employment and support allowance projected expenditure as at March 2010 Budget 
			 £ million 
			  Nominal 2011-12 prices (1) 
			  Work Related Activity Group Assessment Phase Support Group Total Work Related Activity Group Assessment Phase Support Group Total 
			 2009-10 804 437 107 1,347 834 453 111 1,398 
			 2010-11 1,914 474 581 2,969 1,943 481 590 3,014 
			 (1) 2011-12 prices using GDP deflators current as at March 2010 Budget. 
		
	
	
		
			 Employment and support allowance out-turn and projected expenditure as at autumn statement 2011 
			 £ million 
			  Nominal 2011-12 prices (1) 
			  Work Related Activity Group Assessment Phase Support Group Total Work Related Activity Group Assessment Phase Support Group Total 
			 2009-10 314 828 125 1,267 331 873 132 1,336 
			 2010-11 939 990 313 2,241 963 1,016 321 2,300 
			 2011-12 1,611 1,253 803 3,666 1,611 1,253 803 3,666 
			 2012-13 3,146 1,541 2,086 6,774 3,063 1,501 2,031 6,595 
			 2013-14 4,457 1,588 3,308 9,353 4,234 1,508 3,143 8,884 
			 2014-15 5,138 1,571 4,173 10,882 .4,761 1,456 3,867 10,084 
			 2015-16 5,073 1,544 4,404 11,020 4,586 1,395 3,981 9,963 
			 2016-17 5,187 1,525 4,572 11,283 4,575 1,345 4,032 9,952 
			 (1) 2011-12 prices using GDP deflators current as at autumn statement 2011. Notes: 1. Forecasts were only published for 2010-11 at the March 2010 Budget. 2. Further benefit expenditure and caseload information can be found on the Department for Work and Pensions website at: http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd4/index.php?page=medium_term Source: DWP forecasts, and statistical and accounting data

Employment Schemes

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions in how many cases benefit sanctions were applied to benefit claimants relating to their conduct while participating in mandatory work activity in (a) the UK, (b) Lambeth local authority and (c) Streatham constituency.

Chris Grayling: Mandatory work activity gives extra support to a small number of jobseeker's allowance claimants who would benefit from a short period of activity. It will help them re-engage with the system, refocus their job search and gain valuable work-related disciplines, such as attending on time and regularly, carrying out specific tasks and working under supervision.
	Jobcentre Plus advisers have the flexibility to use mandatory work activity, where they feel it is appropriate, as part of a wider range of support options.
	Between May and November 2011, there were 24,010 initial referrals to mandatory work activity.
	The following JSA sanctions were applied to benefit claimants for Failing to Participate in Mandatory Work Activity from May 2011 to October 2011 (this includes any sanctions applied to claimants referred to the scheme who failed to start without good cause, any sanctions applied to claimants who started the scheme and then ceased to participate without good cause, and any sanctions applied to claimants relating to their conduct while participating in mandatory work activity):
	(a) 1,220 in GB;
	(b) 20 in Lambeth local authority; and
	(c) 10 in Streatham constituency.

Employment Schemes

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate his Department has made of the average cost per participant to the public purse of (a) the Government's work experience programme and (b) mandatory work activity to date.

Chris Grayling: The information requested is as follows:
	(a) Around £600,000 was paid to participants of the work experience programme in travel and child care costs between January and November 2011, with 34,200 work experience starts in the same period. The average cost per start during this period was therefore around £17.50.
	(b) Current mandatory work activity contracts are worth around £8 million per year, which provides funding for up to around 19,000 places.

Employment Schemes

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the total expected monetary value is of mandatory work activity contracts made by his Department.

Chris Grayling: Mandatory work activity is a four-year programme with contracts worth £8 million per annum—£32 million in total.

Employment Schemes

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many places on the mandatory work activity scheme his Department budgeted for when tendering for the contracts to provide it.

Chris Grayling: The mandatory work activity (MWA) Invitation to Tender specification and supporting information set out the contract value per contract package area (CPA) and the minimum number of places that providers would be expected to provide per year in each CPA. This provided for a minimum of 10,000 MWA places per year at national level. The Department for Work and Pensions sought competition based on increasing the number of placements each provider could offer against the fixed contract value for each CPA.

Employment: Disability

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people with a disability were in employment in (a) Dartford, (b) Kent and (c) England in each of the last five years.

Maria Miller: The following table shows the number of working age people aged 16 to 64 in Dartford, Kent and England, who are disabled within the Equality Act definition and in employment for each of the last five years.
	
		
			  Dartford (1) Kent (2) England (3) 
			 July 2006 to June 2007 8,600 69,500 2,252,300 
			 July 2007 to June 2008 5,700 69,000 2,328,200 
			 July 2008 to June 2009 5,200 74,100 2,311,400 
			 July 2009 to June 2010 6,300 73,500 2,447,700 
			 July 2010 to June 2011 5,100 76,500 2,671,300 
			 (1 )Dartford, as defined under the 'Parliamentary constituencies 2010' classification and these estimates should be treated with caution due to the small sample size. (2 )Kent, as defined under the 'Local authorities: County/Unitary' classification. (3 )England, as defined under the 'Countries' classification. Source: Annual Population Survey (APS)/Labour Force Survey, 2006 to 2011 (years ending June). 
		
	
	Figures on people who are considered disabled within the Equality Act definition, are the summed value of the rounded categories: “DDA Disabled only” and “DDA disabled and work-limited disabled”, as published on the NOMIS website.

Jobcentre Plus: Birmingham

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many complaints have been made by residents of Birmingham, Ladywood constituency about (a) Job Centre Plus, (b) the Pension Service and (c) the Child Support Agency in each of the last three years.

Chris Grayling: The information is not available in the format requested.

Maternity Pay

Elizabeth Truss: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of people in receipt of statutory maternity pay were earning in excess of £40,000 in each financial year since 2008-09.

Maria Miller: The information requested is not available.

Maternity Pay

Elizabeth Truss: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the value was of the highest single payment of statutory maternity pay to an individual in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2009-10 and (c) 2008-09.

Maria Miller: The Department does not release information about a single taxpayer; as this would be highly disclosive and is not permitted under the Data Protection Act.

Pensions

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what steps he plans to take on for charity and voluntary sector employers participating in multi-employer defined benefit pension schemes where an employment-cessation event occurs; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  with reference to section 75 of the Pensions Act 1995, if he will consult on amending employer debt requirements for non-associated employers for (a) charity and voluntary sector and (b) other organisations.

Steve Webb: Employer debt legislation provides important protection for scheme members in defined benefit pension schemes, including multi-employer schemes. It takes into account the need to balance the rights and expectations of all scheme members, the responsibilities of the employers and trustees, and the need to protect the Pension Protection Fund from undue exposure to risk.
	The Government recognise that there may be circumstances where not all of a departing employer's debt needs to be paid immediately. Consequently various easements for meeting the departing employer's debt have been introduced. Although the legislation is intended to provide an overarching framework, the Government also recognise that certain employers who participate in multi-employer schemes with non-associated or unconnected employers may face difficulties despite the introduction of these easements, and this includes some employers in the charity and voluntary sector.
	However, tailoring the regulations or exempting a specific sector of employers from the legislation could have the effect of reducing member protection for employees, deferred members and pensioners without there being any counter balancing measure of support. If member protection is reduced this could put additional pressure on the Pension Protection Fund.
	The Government continue to keep the employer debt rules under review and my officials are engaging in discussions with employers and their advisers who have raised similar concerns to consider if there are any workable alternatives that would not reduce member protection. We do not have plans to undertake a further formal consultation on amending the employer debt rules at this stage.

Pensions: Birmingham

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of people entitled to pension credit who have not claimed it in Birmingham, Ladywood constituency in the last three years.

Steve Webb: Estimates of take-up are not sufficiently robust to present below the level of Great Britain. However the latest National Statistics on Income Related Benefits: Estimates of Take-Up produced by the Department for Work and Pensions were released on 23 February 2012.
	The Income Related Benefits: Estimates of Take-up report covers Great Britain for the financial year 2009-10. It provides case load and expenditure estimates of take-up for income support and employment and support allowance (income-related), pension credit, housing benefit (including local housing allowance), council tax benefit and jobseeker's allowance (income-based). The latest release updates the statistics previously released on 10 June 2010. The figures are available online and can be found here:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/index.php?page=irb
	Figures for Great Britain covering the period 2007-08 to 2009-10 are presented as follows:
	
		
			 Case load take-up for pension credit, Great Britain, 2007-08 to 2009-10 
			  Range of entitled non-recipients (thousand) Take-up ranges (percentage) 
			 2007-08 980-1,530 63-73 
			 2008-09 910-1,520 63-74 
		
	
	
		
			 2009-10 1,210-1,580 62-68 
		
	
	Details of the take-up methodology and a worked example of how take-up is calculated can be found in Chapter 8: Methods and Data Sources and the Appendix: Construction of take-up ranges, of the latest report.

Personal Independence Payment: Visual Impairment

Mark Menzies: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will take steps to ensure that permanently blind people, whose circumstances will not change, will not be subjected to unnecessary reassessments when personal independence payments are introduced.

Maria Miller: The personal independence payment has been designed to ensure that individuals are assessed on the basis of their individual circumstances, not their impairment type. We do not believe that making blanket decisions about benefit entitlement is helpful as health conditions and disabilities can affect people in very different ways.
	In a similar way, the length of awards in personal independence payment will be tailored to individual circumstances and the likelihood of their circumstances changing. We do appreciate that some individuals will have conditions that are unlikely to change, such as permanent blindness, and this will be reflected in considerations on appropriate award duration. This will ensure that individuals are not unnecessarily reviewed. Even where conditions are permanent, however, an individual's needs and barriers may still change, so we do intend to keep all awards subject to review. It is important to be clear that reviews of awards will be carried out in a sensitive and proportionate way and will not always require a face-to-face consultation. In some cases they may be based solely on information and evidence provided by the claimant and supporting professionals.
	We are still developing the claims and assessment processes for personal independence payment and we will continue to work with disabled people and their organisations as we do so.

Poverty: Children

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of households with children are classified as in poverty.

Maria Miller: Estimates of the number and proportion of children living in poverty are published in the Households Below Average Income (HBAI) series. HBAI uses household income adjusted (or ‘equivalised’) for household size and composition, to provide a proxy for standard of living. The publication looks at the number of children in households with equivalised incomes below certain thresholds, whereas information presented here looks at the number and proportion of households with low incomes containing children.
	Statistics covering 2009-10 are the most recent available.
	
		
			  Number/percentage of households with children who were living in relative poverty Before Housing Costs (BHC) in 2009-10 in the UK 
			 Number (million) 1.4 
			 Proportion (percentage) 18 
			 Notes 1. These statistics are based on Households Below Average Income (HBAI) data sourced from the Family Resources Survey (FRS) available at: http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/index.php?page=hbai_arc This uses disposable household income, adjusted using modified OECD equivalisation factors for household size and composition, as an income measure as a proxy for standard of living. 2. Net disposable incomes have been used to answer the question. This includes earnings from employment and self-employment, state support, income from occupational and private pensions, investment income and other sources. Income tax, payments, national insurance contributions, council tax/domestic rates and some other payments are deducted from incomes. 3. Figures have been presented on a Before Housing Cost rather than an After Housing Cost basis. For Before Housing Costs, housing costs are not deducted from income, while for After Housing Costs they are. 4. All estimates are based on survey data and are therefore subject to a degree of uncertainty. Small differences should be treated with caution as these will be affected by sampling error and variability in non-response. 5. The reference period for these HBAI figures is the financial year. 6. Numbers of households with children have been rounded to the nearest hundred thousand children. 7. Proportions of households with children have been rounded to the nearest percentage point. 8. This measure is defined as: Relative poverty: households with children with equivalised incomes below 60% of contemporary median household income Before Housing Costs (BHC). 9. The Child Poverty Act 2010 sets four income-based UK-wide targets to be met by 2020. The targets are based on the proportion of children living in households with relative low income, combined low income and material deprivation, absolute low income and persistent poverty. Source: Households Below Average Income 1994-95 to 2009-10, DWP

Remploy

Shaun Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in St Helens South and Whiston constituency he anticipates will be made redundant due to the announced closure of Remploy factories; and what support will be available to those affected.

Maria Miller: The Remploy factory in St Helens was closed as part of the 2008 modernisation plan by the previous Government and a number of ex-employees remain on Remploy terms and conditions. We do not have the details of the constituencies that individual employees belong to and so we are unable to offer specific figures on the number of people who may be affected in St Helens South and Whiston.
	We recognise that this announcement has important implications for staff in the Remploy factories. As part of the collective consultation, the Remploy Board will consider all proposals to avoid compulsory redundancy.
	A comprehensive package of personalised and individually tailored support will be in place to support every disabled member of staff who is directly affected. They will receive individualised support for up to 18 months to help with the transition from Government funded sheltered employment to mainstream employment.
	The package of support will draw upon the skills of organisations such, as Remploy and Jobcentre Plus, but will also benefit from the experience of organisations such as the Employers' Forum on Disability, and that of local charities and user-led organisations.

Social Security Benefits

Ann Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the total household income including working tax credit, child tax credit, child benefit and council tax benefit of a couple working 17 hours a week on the minimum wage living in their own home and paying £1,000 in council tax (a) currently, (b) after changes to qualifying requirements for working tax credit on 1 April 2012 and (c) including out-of-work benefits.

Chris Grayling: On the assumption that this couple has two children:
	(a) Prior to April 2012, this household would be entitled to working tax credit and they would have income of around £335 per week. This includes around £18 a week in council tax benefit.
	(b) In 2012-13, this household would not be entitled to receive working tax credit and would have income of around £263 per week. This includes around £19 a week in council tax benefit.
	(c) If this household was out of work their income would be around £271 per week. This includes around £19 a week in council tax benefit.
	The Government are reforming the welfare system through the introduction of universal credit in October 2013. Universal credit is designed to improve financial work incentives. And in this example the couple will be around £101 per week better off working 16 hours a week compared to being out of work.
	Notes:
	1. Part (a) is based on the tax/benefit system in 2011-12
	2. Parts (b) and (c) are based on the tax/benefit system in 2012-13
	3. Universal credit is based on the tax/benefit system in 2014-15
	4. Income is defined as net earnings in addition to any benefits or tax credits.
	5. Council tax of £1,000 a year has been equated to approximately £19 a week.
	6. All numbers have been provided in 2011-12 prices and where necessary deflated by the GDP Deflator. All numbers have been rounded to the nearest £1.

Social Security Benefits

Ann Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the total household income including working tax credit, child tax credit, child benefit and council tax benefit of a couple working 18 hours a week on the minimum wage living in their own home and paying £1,000 in council tax (a) currently, (b) after changes to qualifying requirements for working tax credit on 1 April 2012 and (c) including out-of-work benefits.

Chris Grayling: On the assumption that this couple has two children:
	(a) Prior to April 2012, this household would be entitled to working tax credit and they would have income of around £339 per week. This includes around £16 a week in council tax benefit.
	(b) In 2012-13, this household would not be entitled to receive working tax credit and would have income of around £269 per week. This includes around £19 a week in council tax benefit.
	(c) If this household was out of work their income would be around £271 per week. This includes around £19 a week in council tax benefit.
	The Government are reforming the welfare system through the introduction of universal credit in October 2013. Universal credit is designed to improve financial work incentives. And in this example the couple will be around £107 per week better off working 16 hours a week compared to being out of work.
	Notes:
	1. Part (a) is based on the tax/benefit system in 2011-12
	2. Parts (b) and (c) are based on the tax/benefit system in 2012-13
	3. Universal credit is based on the tax/benefit system in 2014-15
	4. Income is defined as net earnings in addition to any benefits or tax credits.
	5. Council tax of £1,000 a year has been equated to approximately £19 a week.
	6. All numbers have been provided in 2011-12 prices and where necessary deflated by the GDP Deflator. All numbers have been rounded to the nearest £1.

Social Security Benefits

Ann Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the total household income including working tax credit, child tax credit, child benefit and council tax benefit of a couple working 19 hours a week on the minimum wage living in their own home and paying £1,000 in council tax (a) currently, (b) after changes to qualifying requirements for working tax credit on 1 April 2012 and (c) including out-of-work benefits.

Chris Grayling: On the assumption that this couple has two children:
	(a) Prior to April 2012, this household would be entitled to working tax credit and they would have income of around £344 per week. This includes around £15 a week in council tax benefit.
	(b) In 2012-13, this household would not be entitled to receive working tax credit and would have income of around £275 per week. This includes around £19 a week in council tax benefit.
	(c) If this household was out of work their income would be around £271 per week. This includes around £19 a week in council tax benefit.
	The Government are reforming the welfare system through the introduction of Universal Credit in October 2013. Universal credit is designed to improve financial work incentives. And in this example the couple will be around £113 per week better-off working 16 hours a week compared to being out of work
	Notes:
	1. Part (a) is based on the tax/benefit system in 2011-12
	2. Parts (b) and (c) are based on the tax/benefit system in 2012-13
	3. Universal credit is based on the tax/benefit system in 2014-15
	4. Income is defined as net earnings in addition to any benefits or tax credits.
	5. Council tax of £1,000 a year has been equated to approximately £19 a week.
	6. All numbers have been provided in 2011-12 prices and where necessary deflated by the GDP Deflator. All numbers have been rounded to the nearest £1.

Social Security Benefits

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people aged (a) 18 to 21 and (b) 22 to 24 years claimed (i) employment and support allowance and (ii) incapacity benefit in England in the last year for which figures are available.

Chris Grayling: The information is provided for the last four quarters.
	
		
			 Incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance (IB/SDA) and employment and support allowance (ESA) claimants in England, split by age: November 2010 to August 2011. 
			  IB/SDA ESA 
			  Aged 18-21 Aged 22-24 Aged 18-21 Aged 22-24 
			 November 2010 18,290 42,420 42,410 26,290 
			 February 2011 15,500 40,330 42,950 27,300 
			 May 2011 12,730 38,640 44,970 28,750 
			 August 2011 10,100 36,230 49,450 31,890 
			 Notes: 1. Caseload figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Incapacity benefit was replaced by employment support allowance for new claims from October 2008. 3. Data include claimants receiving credits only. Source: DWP Information, Governance & Security Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study.

Social Security Benefits

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the cost to the public purse was of the provision of (a) employment and support allowance and (b) incapacity benefit to people aged (i) 18 to 21 and (ii) 22 to 24 years in England in the last year for which figures are available.

Chris Grayling: The figures are in the table.
	
		
			 Expenditure on employment and support allowance, incapacity benefit and associated income support, 2010-11 
			 £ million (nominal) 
			  Employment and support allowance Incapacity benefit Income support 
			 Aged 18 to 21 154 64 32 
			 Aged 22 to 24 89 108 97 
			 Notes: 1. Income support expenditure relates to those also in receipt of incapacity benefit, whether payments or credits. 2. DWP benefit expenditure tables can be accessed at: http://www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd4/expenditure.asp Source: DWP statistical and accounting data.

Social Security Benefits

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will consider collecting further data on the (a) profiles of claimants and (b) purposes of awards made under the Flexible Support Fund for the purposes of monitoring effectiveness.

Chris Grayling: The Flexible Support Fund provides opportunities for districts to target the fund towards grants, purchasing goods and services or adviser support, i.e. travel and child care costs. In monitoring this, nationally we break the FSF spend down by customer groups and districts may further break this down if they determine this is a local priority.
	All decisions are assessed against established minimum criteria including value for money. Payments are encouraged on an outcome basis with local and commercial monitoring in place to determine compliance with agreements in place either through commercial contracts or grant agreements.
	Overall the effectiveness of Jobcentre Plus flexibility including the FSF is monitored through the Performance Management Framework to determine the success of the activities and support provided for customers.

Social Security Benefits

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many awards were made under the Flexible Support Fund to claimants of (a) jobseeker's allowance, (b) employment and support allowance and (c) income support.

Chris Grayling: The information requested is not fully available in the format requested for all awards made under the Flexible Support Fund. However some awards can be directly associated with a single benefit (Table A).
	
		
			 Table A 
			 Claimants shown as in receipt of: Number of awards 
			 Jobseekers allowance 158,977 
			 Employment and support allowance 3,982 
			 Income support 4,482 
		
	
	The information above is based on awards recorded on the Labour Market System and covers the period 9 April 2011 to 2 March 2012.

Social Security Benefits

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many lone parent and partner claimants were in receipt of in-work child care payments prior to the establishment of the Flexible Support Fund.

Chris Grayling: The two main schemes established prior to the Flexible Support Fund were Up Front Childcare payments and Childcare Subsidy payments. No information on the volume of claimants on these schemes is available.

Winter Fuel Payments: Birmingham

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of people in Birmingham, Ladywood constituency who claimed a winter fuel payment in (a) 2008, (b) 2009, (c) 2010 and (d) 2011.

Steve Webb: The information requested is provided in the following table:
	
		
			 Number of winter fuel payment recipients in Birmingham, Ladywood constituency 
			  Winter fuel payment recipients 
			 2007-08 11,320 
			 2008-09 11,350 
			 2009-10 11,330 
			 2010-11 10,520 
			 Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Parliamentary constituencies are assigned by matching postcodes against the relevant ONS postcode directory. 3. Figures from 2010-11 recognise the May 2010 structural changes to the parliamentary constituencies of England and Wales. 4. The latest figures for Winter Fuel Payments are published at: http://statistics.dwp.gov.uk/asd/index.php?page=wfp Source: DWP Information Directorate

Work Capability Assessment

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how recordings of work capability assessments (WCAs) are provided to claimants; and what steps he is taking to increase claimants' awareness that WCAs may be recorded.

Chris Grayling: As the 1 February 2012, Official Report, columns 291-2WH states, we have not implemented universal recording for claimants going through the Work Capability Assessment.
	However, claimants can request an audio recording by contacting the Benefit Centre which administers their claim or Atos Healthcare directly. In these circumstances Atos Healthcare will, where possible, endeavour to provide the requisite audio recording equipment which will give each party a CD recording of the assessment.
	A process guide is currently being agreed by Atos Healthcare and the Department for Work and Pensions to improve claimant awareness of the steps they should take if they wish to request audio recording of their assessment.

Work Capability Assessment

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what (a) weekly and (b) monthly targets his Department has set for work capability assessments.

Chris Grayling: The Department does not set weekly or monthly numerical targets for the number of work capability assessments Atos Healthcare are expected to clear as this depends on the number of claims received.
	The current contractual agreement between DWP and Atos Healthcare does contain performance targets covering a range of features including throughput, claimant service and medical quality. These targets form part of the overall ESA customer journey of 91 days and performance on a monthly basis is measured and monitored.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Affordable Housing

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many affordable homes have been (a) begun and (b) completed in (i) Peterborough constituency and (ii) North West Cambridgeshire constituency since May 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Stunell: Data are not available at constituency level. The following table shows the number of affordable homes started and completed in Peterborough unitary authority and Huntingdonshire district council between April 2010 and September 2011, the latest period for which data are available, as reported in the Homes and Communities Agency's six monthly National Housing Statistics. These statistics only cover affordable housing that is delivered through the Homes and Communities Agency's affordable housing programmes; affordable housing delivered outside these programmes is not included. Housing starts cover new build starts only while completions include both new build and acquisitions.
	
		
			  Starts Completions 
			 Peterborough 400 414 
			 Huntingdonshire 150 496 
			 Source: Homes and Communities Agency. Housing starts cover new build starts only while completions will include new build and acquisitions. 
		
	
	Total affordable completions, including those delivered outside the Homes and Communities Agency's programmes are published annually in the Department's Affordable Housing Supply statistics available on the Department's website.

Allotments

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans his Department has to ensure parish and town councils which wish to provide allotments for residents are able to do so.

Andrew Stunell: holding answer 19 March 2012
	The Government recognise that allotments are valuable green spaces and community assets providing people with the opportunity to grow their own produce as part of the long-term promotion of environmental sustainability, health and well-being, community cohesion and social inclusion. All councils, with the exception of inner London authorities, but including parish and town councils have a duty to provide allotments. Section 23 of the Small Holdings and Allotments Act 1908 places a duty on local authorities including parish councils (except for inner London boroughs) to provide allotments where they perceive a demand for them in their area. There is however no time constraints within which to provide land.
	In March 2010 DCLG published ‘A Place to Grow’ to help local authorities minimise the length of time an individual has to wait before getting an allotment plot. It also contains guidance on the better management of existing plots, for example reducing plot sizes and taking action in cases where plots are not being cultivated and is available to local authorities on the LGA website at:
	http://new.lga.gov.uk/lga/aio/9027597
	We are working with a range of partners to promote the importance of allotments and to encourage and support local authorities to make more allotment land available. And significant progress has been made. The 2011 Survey of Allotment waiting lists in England shows that new allotment sites were brought into use by 31 councils (compared with 17 councils in the 2010 survey) with the total number of plots on these new sites being 939.
	New neighbourhood planning provisions in the Localism Act also provide communities with a means to boost the number of sites with powers to protect existing allotments and identify new plots.
	The Community Right to Reclaim Land will help communities to find space for food growing by making information about land owned by public bodies more easily available and help to ensure that under-used or unused land owned by public bodies and some other organisations is brought back into beneficial use.
	Alongside the ‘How to’ guide that my Department published at the end of August, providing advice for communities interested in creating or cultivating community orchards:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/news/newsroom/1973439
	we will be developing a similar guide for individuals and communities interested in finding and developing space for food growing.

Building Regulations

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of the potential effects of the Localism Act 2011 on the interpretation of the building regulations.

Andrew Stunell: The technical requirements in the Building Regulations with which buildings must comply and the requirements on enforcement of those standards by building control bodies will continue to be set through legislation applying in all of England. The Localism Act will have no effect on these and therefore no assessment is necessary.
	Building Regulations in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales are the responsibility of the devolved Administrations in those jurisdictions.

Families

Heidi Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what proportion of the funding allocated for the troubled families initiative will be spent in (a) 2012-13, (b) 2013-14 and (c) 2014-15.

Bob Neill: The funding allocated to the cross-Government Troubled Families programme by central Government over the three years is £448 million. Expenditure is dependent on the take up and results delivered by local authorities, and at this point we would expect to spend to budget, but a breakdown of what will be spent by year is not currently available.

Families

Heidi Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance he has issued to local authorities on the criteria to be used to identify families eligible for assistance as part of his Department's troubled families initiative.

Bob Neill: Further details on the arrangements for the new Troubled Families programme, including the definition of a troubled family, success measures and payment arrangements, will be distributed to local authorities and announced shortly.

Families

Heidi Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether outcome measurements will be used to determine payments to local authorities or their contractors as part of the troubled families initiative.

Bob Neill: Payments to local authorities as part of the Troubled Families programme will be determined primarily on a payment-by-results basis, distributed as a 40% contribution to the costs of actions needed. The remaining 60% will need to be found locally, from the local authority and partners (including, for example, police, health and Job Centre Plus).
	Further details on the arrangements for the new Troubled Families programme, including the definition of a troubled family, success measures and payment arrangements, will be announced shortly.

Fire Services

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will estimate the number of fire fighters in each (a) region and (b) local authority area who will no longer be eligible to pay income tax following the increase in their personal allowance in April 2012.

Bob Neill: My Department does not collect information on the pay of individual firefighters.

Housing: Offenders

Ben Gummer: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what steps he is taking to house ex-offenders with mental health problems;
	(2)  what steps he is taking to house ex-offenders;
	(3)  what housing advice is offered to ex-offenders on leaving prison;
	(4)  what steps he is taking to house ex-offenders with substance misuse problems.

Grant Shapps: The first report of the Ministerial Working Group on Homelessness included an action to identify all offenders at risk of homelessness on arrival into prison and in 2012 more comprehensive expectations and guidance for Prisons and for Probation Trusts on how to assist offenders to access stable housing will be published.
	We are providing £20 million funding for local authorities in England to prevent single homelessness and help them ensure that nobody is turned away without clear and useful advice when they are most in need. We have also provided Crisis with £12.25 million to fund voluntary organisations to offer a new scheme, in which ex-offenders and other single homeless people will be given help to find and maintain a new home in the private rented sector.
	The Government's drug strategy ‘Reducing Demand, Restricting Supply, Building Recovery; Supporting People to Live a Drug Free Life’, published in December 2010, recognises the importance of housing to recovery. DCLG are supporting the production of housing and drug sector led guidance to improve understanding of how the two sectors can work together to support people to achieve full recovery. Initial material will be published later this spring.

Information Commissioner

David Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many appeals his Department has made to an information tribunal contesting a decision notice of the Information Commissioner in the last 12 months.

Bob Neill: My Department has made no appeals to the Information Rights tribunal against a decision notice issued by the Information Commissioner in the past 12 months.

Land: Retail Trade

Brandon Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps his Department is taking to monitor land banking by retailers.

Grant Shapps: The Department for Communities and Local Government does not monitor land banking by retailers. The issue of land banking by retailers is not a planning issue.
	My hon. Friend may be interested to know that the Competition Commission concluded, following their inquiry into the groceries market in 2008, that there was no evidence that grocery retailers were creating land banks in order to impede competition.

Mayors: Referendum

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what progress has been made on plans for mayoral referendums.

Greg Clark: Following parliamentary approval, the Regulations setting out the rules for the conduct of governance referendums and the Orders requiring mayoral referendums to be held on 3 May in Birmingham, Bradford, Bristol, Coventry, Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham, Sheffield and Wakefield were made on 8 February and came into force on 9 February.
	Should the people of these cities choose to have a directly elected mayor at the referendum then the mayoral election will take place on 15 November 2012.

McKinsey and Company

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much his Department paid to McKinsey and Company in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Neill: My Department has made no payments to McKinsey and Company in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12.

Newspaper Press: Planning Permission

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will deregulate the publication of planning permission applications in local newspapers.

Bob Neill: The hon. Member may not be aware of the fact that the last Administration produced a consultation paper on this issue, proposing to remove the statutory requirements to publish notices in newspapers (Department for Communities and Local Government, ‘Publicity for planning applications’, July 2009).
	However, this was not well-received. Following that consultation, the Administration concluded:
	“The Government has decided not to take forward this amendment. This means that the statutory requirement to publish certain applications in newspapers remains. It is clear from the responses that some members of the public and community groups rely on the statutory notices in newspapers to learn about planning applications in their area. The Government is not convinced that good alternative arrangements can be readily rolled out”. (Department for Communities and Local Government, ‘Publicity for planning applications: Summary of responses to consultation’, December 2009. p.14).
	My Department does not have any current plans to remove the statutory requirement for certain planning applications to be advertised in newspapers. Such notices ensure that the public are informed of decisions by their local authority which may affect their quality of life, local amenity or their property. This is especially the case in relation to planning applications, where there is a limited period for local residents to make representations.
	Notwithstanding, there is scope for reviewing statutory notices in general. Ministers have been clear that, in an internet age, commercial newspapers should expect over time less state advertising as more information is syndicated online by local authorities for free. The flipside is the free press should not face state unfair competition from town hall newspapers and municipal propaganda dressed up as local reporting.

Risk Registers

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will provide a list of all the risk registers compiled by officials in his Department.

Bob Neill: I refer the right hon. Member to my answer of 13 December 2011, Official Report, column 735W.

Sleeping Rough

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of the factors causing the reported annual rise in rough sleeping of (a) 49 per cent. in the North West and (b) 23 per cent. in England; and if he will make a statement.

Grant Shapps: The last Government's methodology ignored the true scale of the problem of rough sleeping. The coalition Government have acted decisively to introduce a more accurate assessment of rough sleeping levels so that there is clear information in all areas, to inform service provision and action to address the problem.
	I recently announced additional funding to tackle and prevent rough sleeping. This includes:
	£20 million—“Homelessness Transition Fund” to support the roll out of No Second Night Out and protect vital front line services.
	£20 million—“Single Homelessness Prevention Fund” to help ensure single homeless people get access to good housing advice.
	£5 million boost to the “Homelessness Change Programme” (bringing the total investment to £42.5 million) to deliver improved hostel provision and provide over 1,500 new and improved bed spaces.
	£5 million—“Social Impact Bond”—using a payment by results model to help persistent rough sleepers in London. This is the first Social Impact Bond set up to tackle homelessness in the world.
	This comes on top of the existing £400 million homelessness grant this Government have protected over the next four years.
	A list of funding allocations in England for the Homelessness Transition Fund and the Homelessness Change Programme can be obtained from the following weblinks:
	http://homeless.org.uk/transition-fund/news
	http://www.homesandcommunities.co.uk/ourwork/homelessness-change
	The London CHAIN report for 2010-11 highlights that over half of London's rough sleepers are non-UK citizens. We are working with the Passage Day centre in London to develop a campaign in the key Eastern European countries to highlight the problems faced by destitute economic migrants. We are also working closely with the Mayor's team and the relevant embassies to reconnect migrant rough sleepers to their home country.

EDUCATION

Academies

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many state-maintained schools in Coventry have not expressed interest in or applied for academy status.

Nick Gibb: As of 1 March 2012, 94 state-funded schools in Coventry have not expressed an interest or applied to convert to academy status.

Children: Day Care

Elizabeth Truss: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the cost was of non-inspection related visits to childminders in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Sarah Teather: holding answer 14 March 2012
	This information is held by Ofsted. The chief inspector, Sir Michael Wilshaw, has written to my hon. Friend and a copy of his reply has been placed in the House Libraries.
	Letter from Michael Wilshaw, dated 14 March 2012
	Your recent parliamentary question has been passed to me, as Her Majesty's, Chief Inspector, for response.
	The Information you have requested is set out in the table below. All costs relate to the most recent full year, 2010-11, and include direct and indirect costs plus overheads less income. It should be noted that overall costs in Ofsted have reduced since 2010-11 and are planned to reduce in total by 30% by the end of the Comprehensive Spending Review period in 2014-15.
	
		
			 £ million 
			 2010-11 Full cost of inspection 2010-11 Direct and indirect costs plus overheads less income 
			 Variation to conditions 1.5 
		
	
	The table above shows the cost of the main non-inspection activity related to visits to child-minders. In most cases the visit is to vary conditions of registration, for example where the child-minder moves house. The cost of following up complaints is not included as this is not calculated separately for child-minders.
	A copy of this reply has been sent to Sarah Teather MP, Minister of State for Children and Families, and will be placed in the library of both Houses.

Early Intervention Foundation

Graham Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Education on what date he expects the tender document for the Early Intervention Foundation to be available on his Department's website.

Sarah Teather: The Department is aiming to publish the Early Intervention Foundation advertisement and a downloadable invitation to tender before the end of March 2012. They will be made available at:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/aboutdfe/policiesandprocedures/procurement

Entry Clearances: Children

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what support is available for children who have travelled to the UK on a medical visa for long term treatment who wish to attend school.

Nick Gibb: The School Admissions Code 2012 sets out a statutory national framework which ensures that entry to all state-funded school places are awarded openly and fairly. While it does not specifically mention children entering the country on a medical visa it does require all admission authorities to treat applications for children coming from overseas in accordance with European Union law or Home Office rules for non-European economic area nationals.
	The provisions of the Immigration (European Economic Area) Regulations 2006 govern the right of admission for nationals of the European economic area (EEA) to the United Kingdom (UK). Where these provisions are satisfied, EEA nationals and their children of any age, who come to the UK lawfully to work or for certain other economic purposes, have a right to reside in the UK and enjoy the same rights to education as British citizens. This also applies to unaccompanied EEA national children who come to study in the UK.
	Non-EEA children unaccompanied by their parents do not have this right, but can apply on their own for leave to enter or remain in the UK to study at independent fee-paying schools. They must satisfy requirements at paragraph 245ZZ of the Home Office Immigration Rules, which can be viewed at:
	http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/policyandlaw/immigrationlaw/immigrationrules/part6a/
	In addition, schools and local authorities also have responsibilities and duties under the Education Act 1996 to identify, assess and make suitable provision to meet children's special educational needs. This would apply also to those children who are eligible to enter the country on a medical visa.

Freedom of Information

David Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many appeals his Department has made to an information tribunal contesting a decision notice of the Information Commissioner in the last 12 months.

Tim Loughton: None.

GCE A-level

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many students have passed A-levels in science, technology, engineering and mathematics subjects in each of the last 10 years; and how many such passes were achieved in (a) state and (b) independent schools.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 13 March 2012
	The Department for Education releases national statistics on the achievements of pupils in GCE A-levels by subject annually, most recently in the publication ‘GCE/Applied GCE A/AS and Equivalent Examination Results in England, 2010/11 (Revised)’. A time series of achievements by subject (including A*-E pass rates and entries) from the 1995/96 academic year onwards from this publication is available on the DfE website at:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s001055/sfr01-2012t13t14.xls
	This publication has also provided attainment in GCE A-level subjects for maintained schools, independent schools and further education colleges for the last three years which are available on the DfE website as follows:
	2011:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s001055/sfr01-2012t16abc.xls
	2010:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000986/sfr02-2011t15.xls
	2009:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000906/sfr02-2010t18.xls
	Similar tables for 2006 to 2008 have been placed in the House Libraries; information for earlier years could be supplied only at disproportionate cost.

GCSE: West Midlands

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many school pupils in (a) Coventry, (b) the West Midlands and (c) the UK achieved five A*-C grades at GCSE by Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index decile in each of the last three years.

Nick Gibb: The information requested can be found in the following table for pupils resident in Coventry local authority district, the West Midlands and England. Information on GCSE achievement by deprivation for the UK as a whole is not held and therefore has been provided for England.
	
		
			 Number and percentage of pupils (1)  at the end of Key Stage 4 achieving 5+ A*-C grades at GCSE and equivalent by Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index (IDACI) decile (2, 3)  of pupil residence for pupils in Coventry local authority district, West Midlands and England. Years: 2008/09 to 2010/11 (revised) (4, 5) . Coverage: England (6) , maintained schools (including academies and CTCs) 
			  2008/09 2009/10 2010/11 
			  Number of pupils achieving 5+ A*-C grades Percentage of pupils achieving 5+ A*-C grades Number of pupils achieving 5+ A*-C grades Percentage of pupils achieving 5+ A*-C grades Number of pupils achieving 5+ A*-C grades Percentage of pupils achieving 5+ A*-C grades 
			 Coventry       
			 0%-10% most deprived 383 56.2 441 72.9 518 76.7 
			 10%-20% 305 59.7 406 76.0 466 82.9 
			 20%-30% 262 64.9 294 74.2 308. 85.3 
			 30%-40% 189 69.7 262 79.9 293 85.4 
			 40%-50% 241 70.9 317 84.3 417 89.7 
			 50%-60% 396 81.5 423 91.0 207 87.3 
			 60%-70% 178 80.2 218 92.0 169 89.9 
			 70%-80% 219 80.5 266 90.8 285 94.1 
			 80%-90% 142 81.1 173 88.3 166 92.7 
			 90%-100% least deprived 119 86.2 130 91.5 132 93.0 
			 Total 2,434 69.5 2,930 82.0 2,961 85.7 
			        
		
	
	
		
			 West Midlands       
			 0%-10% most deprived 5,758 61.8 6,612 72.7 7,620 79.8 
			 10%-20% 5,081 60.3 5,912 70.5 6,490 78.4 
			 20%-30% 4,313 60.6 5,018 71.9 5,160 78.2 
			 30%-40% 3,667 65.6 4,108 73.8 4,665 80.1 
			 40%-50% 3,975 70.4 4,368 77.2 4,619 82.9 
			 50%-60% 4,279 73.2 4,695 81.6 5,050 85.1 
			 60%-70% 4,307 76.7 4,641 81.4 4,709 86.2 
			 70%-80% 4,447 78.8 4,792 82.7 4,651 86.7 
			 80%-90% 4,707 80.7 5,052 85.9 4,839 88.7 
			 90%-100% least deprived 4,749 85.5 5,049 89.0 4,597 90.8 
			 Total 45,283 70.1 50,247 77.9 52,400 83.0 
			        
			 England       
			 0%-10% most deprived 38,900 57.8 44,680 67.5 48,832 74.0 
			 10%-20% 37,405 59.3 42,194 68.0 45,344 74.2 
			 20%-30% 37,042 61.8 41,200 69.9 44,260 75.8 
			 30%-40% 36,982 65.0 40,476 71.8 43,495 77.7 
			 40%-50% 38,787 69.5 42,201 75.3 43,720 79.6 
			 50%-60% 40,074 72.5 43,098 78.2 43,986 81.7 
			 60%-70% 40,942 75.7 43,966 80.4 45,485 83.9 
			 70%-80% 42,933 78.6 46,104 83.1 46,375 85.8 
			 80%-90% 44,355 81.1 46,609 84.9 46,909 87.4 
			 90%-100% least deprived 44,726 85.0 47,663 88.1 45,483 90.2 
			        
			 Total 402,146 70.0 438,191 76.3 453,889 80.7 
			 (1) Pupils at the end of Key Stage 4 in each academic year. (2) Income Deprivation Affecting Children Indices. Each Super Output Area (similar sized groups of households across the country with a minimum population of 1,000) in England is given a score which ranks it between 1 and 32,482, 1 being the most deprived. (3) The IDACI bands used for 2010/11 are based on 2010 IDACI scores, and the IDACI bands used for 2008/09 and 2009/10 are based on 2007 IDACI scores. Therefore care should be taken when comparing to IDACI band breakdowns for 2008/09 and 2009/10 with 2010/11. (4) Figures for 2008/09 and 2009/10 are based on final data, 2010/11 figures are based on revised data. (5) From 2009/10 iGCSEs, accredited at time of publication, have been counted as GCSE equivalents and also as English and mathematics GCSEs. (6) Only includes pupils who are resident in England. The residency of 1,901 children in 2008/09, 1,755 in 2009/10 and 2,061 in 2010/11 is unknown due to missing or invalid postcode information. These children are excluded from the figures in the table. Source: National Pupil Database

McKinsey and Company

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much his Department paid to McKinsey and Company in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12; and if he will make a statement.

Tim Loughton: The Department does not hold any contract information for this company on its central database. The Department's financial records show that the Department has not made any payments to McKinsey in either period.

ProVenture Programme

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will commission an assessment of the effectiveness of the PreVenture programme.

Sarah Teather: The Drug Strategy, published in December 2010, recognised that all young people need high quality drug and alcohol education so they have a thorough knowledge of their effects and harms and the skills and the confidence to choose not to use drugs and alcohol. The Addictions Department at Kings College London has been invited to submit an existing evaluation of the PreVenture programme to the Centre for Analysis of Youth Transitions (CAYT), one of the Department's three new research centres:
	http://www.ifs.org.uk/centres/cayt
	CAYT will build a repository of good practice based on independently validated evaluations of programmes. This will provide those that commission and deliver drug and alcohol education with a reliable source of high quality evidence-based programmes and materials and evidence of what really works to improve outcomes.

Pupil Exclusions

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what guidance he provides to schools on when to (a) temporarily and (b) permanently exclude pupils.

Nick Gibb: The Department publishes statutory guidance to head teachers and governing bodies on the use of fixed period and permanent exclusion. The current guidance can be downloaded at the following link:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/pupilsupport/behaviour/exclusion/a0076478/exclusion-guidance
	The Department will shortly be issuing revised statutory guidance on exclusion which will apply to all exclusions occurring from 1 September 2012.

Pupil Referral Units

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what plans he has to implement the recommendations of the report, Improving Alternative Provision by Charlie Taylor.

Nick Gibb: The Secretary of State for Education, my right hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), accepted all of Charlie Taylor, the Government's expert adviser on behaviour's report on alternative provision. We are now taking steps to implement the recommendations and Charlie Taylor will report back to Secretary of State in June 2012.

Sixth Form Education

Nicholas Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether a sixth form college requires his permission to (a) change its name and (b) dissolve itself in order to merge with another education institution; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: The current regulations permit a sixth form college corporation to change its name with the approval of the Secretary of State; there is nothing in the Education Act 2011 that changes this requirement. The Education Act did however legislate to transfer sole power to dissolve from the Secretary of State to the sixth form college corporation itself (with the Secretary of State maintaining a backstop power to direct a corporation under his intervention power); therefore, subject to parliamentary process, the regulations for the dissolution of a sixth form college corporation will be revised to this effect.

Third Sector

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much funding his Department gave to (a) the Stephen Lawrence Trust, (b) Magic Breakfast, (c) Barnardo’s and (d) the Children's Society in (i) 2010-11 and (ii) 2011-12; and if he will make a statement.

Tim Loughton: holding answer 19 March 2012
	The voluntary and community sector is key to the development and delivery of services for children, young people and families. This Department funds a number of voluntary sector organisations, both directly and indirectly through local authorities and schools.
	Based on the information available in the Department's finance system the funding made available to the named organisations in financial year 2010-11 is given in the following table, together with the estimate of funding for financial year 2011-12.
	
		
			 £ 
			  Funding in financial year 2010-11 Estimated funding 2011-12 
			 Stephen Lawrence Trust 0 0 
			 Magic Breakfast 0 0 
			 Barnardo's 235,045 1,927,979 
			 The Children's Society 636,211 269,098

Work Experience

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 5 May 2011, Official Report, column 917W, on departmental work experience, how many people (a) worked as an intern, (b) undertook a work experience placement and (c) worked as a volunteer in his Department in accordance with the hiring criteria set out in that answer in the last 12 months for which data are available; and how many such people were employed other than according to those criteria.

Tim Loughton: In 2011 the Department took on five paid interns as part of the Cabinet Office summer diversity internship programme and three unpaid expenses-only interns as part of a pilot for the Cabinet Office's new social mobility internships.
	The Department does not fund any other unpaid, expenses-only internships, but each year it does offer a number of unpaid summer internship placements to graduates that are part of the Teach First Programme. In 2011 there were 12 placements under this scheme.
	The number of work experience placements undertaken via the local education business partnerships was 29 in 2011. We estimate that another 40 work experience placements will have been offered via less formal route e.g. friends and family. In line with the Deputy Prime Minister's view that informal placements are advertised openly and Civil Service Employee Policy (CSEP) guidance the Department is currently revising its approach to work experience placements.
	Apart from the details given above the Department does not offer voluntary positions. The Department does encourage its staff to undertake volunteering opportunities and is aware of at least 190 staff who undertook some form of volunteering during 2011.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Alcoholic Drinks: Pricing

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the potential financial effects of introducing a minimum price for alcohol on low-income consumers of alcohol aged over 18 years; and if she will make a statement.

James Brokenshire: The Government conduct impact assessments and public consultations prior to introducing any new alcohol legislation.
	The Government will set out their wide range of action to tackle excessive alcohol consumption in its forthcoming Alcohol Strategy.

Alcoholic Drinks: Pricing

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what meetings (a) Ministers and (b) officials in her Department have had on alcohol minimum pricing with (i) members of the beverage alcohol manufacturing industry, (ii) supermarkets, (iii) pubs and other members of the on-trade and (iv) members of health and other alcohol NGOs since September 2011.

James Brokenshire: Home Office ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of partners, as well as organisations and individuals in the public and private sectors, as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such meetings.

Crime

Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to Article 3 of EU Council Framework Decision 2002/187/JHA of 28 February 2002, on how many occasions in each of the last 10 years Eurojust has assisted (a) an investigation and (b) a prosecution involving a crime committed in the United Kingdom.

Damian Green: holding answer 15 March 2012
	The information requested is not held centrally. However, UK competent authorities sought assistance from Eurojust in 644 criminal cases between 2001 and 2011. The majority of these cases involved conduct in the UK, although some involved conduct in other member states where the UK had a direct interest either in the suspect or the impact of the activity. The UK national desk has also dealt with 1,344 requests opened by other member states. A proportion of those cases will also have involved criminality in the UK.

Cybercrime

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what assessment her Department has made of the level of understanding of cyber crime across police forces;
	(2)  what assessment she has made of the responsibility of individual police officers in tackling cyber crime.

James Brokenshire: holding answer 19 March 2012
	The Government are committed to mainstreaming the capacity to tackle cyber crime across the police service. We said in the Cyber Security Strategy that we would ensure the development of new training, giving local forces more capability to understand, investigate and disrupt cyber crime. The Police Central eCrime Unit has launched three regional hubs to support forces and take forward the development of a national response to cyber crime. The national response will be improved further by the creation of the National Cyber Crime Unit in the National Crime Agency. This will act as a centre of expertise to support the enhancement of law enforcement capacity.

Entry Clearances: Overseas Students

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer to question 99136 on accrediting English language schools, which agencies provide the accreditation for language schools for courses (a) longer and (b) shorter than 11 months.

Damian Green: holding answer 19 March 2012
	For courses longer than 11 months, international students must be sponsored through Tier 4 of the points-based system by an education provider which is licensed by the UK Border Agency and holds a valid and satisfactory full institutional inspection, review or audit by one of the following bodies:
	Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education;
	Ofsted;
	Education Scotland;
	Estyn;
	Education and Training Inspectorate;
	Independent Schools Inspectorate;
	Bridge Schools Inspectorate; or
	School Inspection Service.
	For English language courses shorter than 11 months students can use the extended student visitor visa, where the education provider must be:
	1. inspected, reviewed or audited by one of the bodies listed at (a) above; or
	2. the holder of valid accreditation from a UK Border Agency approved accreditation body, namely:
	i. Accreditation UK;
	ii. the British Accreditation Council;
	iii the Accreditation Body for Language Services; or
	iv. the Accreditation Service for International Colleges.

Entry Clearances: Overseas Students

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many international students who enrolled on courses of longer than four years duration have been granted visas in each of the last five years.

Damian Green: Figures on the duration of courses for those granted entry clearance visas to the UK for the purposes of study could only be supplied by examining the individual records at a disproportionate cost.
	Data relating to entry clearance visas issued for study are published in table 'be.04' of the Home Office statistical release 'Immigration Statistics'. Figures show that the number of these visas issued were: 236,961 in 2011; 253,788 in 2010; 273,211 in 2009; 207,775 in 2008 and 193,775 in 2007 (excluding student visitors and dependants).
	The latest published figures for entry clearance visas appear in Immigration Statistics October to December 2011, which is available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office Science, research and statistics web pages at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/science-research/research-statistics/migration/migration-statistics1/

EU Justice and Home Affairs

Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which organisation serves as the UK's Financial Intelligence Unit as mandated by EU Council Decision 2000/642/JHA of 17 October 2000; and on how many occasions in each of the last 10 years it has (a) requested information from another EU member state's financial intelligence unit regarding financial transactions related to money laundering or (b) been requested by another EU member state's financial intelligence unit to provide such information, in accordance with Article 1 of the EU Council Decision.

James Brokenshire: The Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) serves as the UK's Financial Intelligence Unit, a role it inherited from the National Criminal Intelligence Service (NCIS).
	Prior to 2009, this data was not collated for publication. Information since 2009, which is published in the Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) annual report, is as follows:
	Incoming requests from EU FIUs
	2009: 687
	2010: 506
	Up to 30 September 2011: 419.
	Outgoing requests from SOCA to EU FIUs
	2009: 575
	2010: 639
	Up to 30 September 2011: 534.

EU Justice and Home Affairs

Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the UK has enacted the provisions of EU Council Framework Decision 2002/946/JHA of 28 November 2002.

Damian Green: holding answer 19 March 2012
	The purpose of the Framework Decision is to create a penal regime to prevent the facilitation of unauthorised entry, transit and residence. Section 143 Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002 amended the Immigration Act 1971 to set out a penal regime for the following offences: assisting unlawful immigration to a member state (section 25); helping an asylum seeker to enter the United Kingdom (section 25A); and assisting entry to the United Kingdom in breach of deportation or exclusion order (section 25C).

Human Trafficking

Anas Sarwar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people her Department estimates were (a) trafficked and (b) prosecuted for trafficking last year in (i) the UK, (ii) Scotland and (iii) Glasgow.

Damian Green: holding answer 19 March 2012
	No estimate has been made in 2011 of the number of people who were trafficked in the UK, Scotland or Glasgow.
	The most recent prosecutions data held for human trafficking offences shows that in 2010-11 there were 177 prosecutions in England and Wales and, in 2011, four prosecutions in Glasgow, Scotland. The Home Office does not hold specific data for Northern Ireland.

Human Trafficking: Scotland

Anas Sarwar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when officials in her Department spoke to their Scottish counterparts regarding human trafficking in each of the last five years.

Damian Green: holding answer 19 March 2012
	Home Office officials are, and have been, in regular contact with their Scottish counterparts on human trafficking during the last five years.

Immigration

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the situation whereby academics apply for indefinite leave to remain under the 10-year residency rule, despite having had to spend significant periods of time abroad as required by their jobs.

Damian Green: A person would not qualify on the basis of 10 years' long residence if he or she had absences from the United Kingdom amounting to over 18 months in total during that period. The Home Office has not made any specific assessment of academics who seek to qualify under this requirement.

Marriages

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what investigations are being undertaken into the migration status of those married by Reverend Brian Shipsides.

Damian Green: Each case will be considered for enforcement action with a view to revoking the immigration benefit received as a result of a sham marriage and removing offenders from the United Kingdom.

McKinsey and Company

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much her Department paid to McKinsey and Company in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12; and if she will make a statement.

Damian Green: The Home Office including its executive agencies had no expenditure with McKinsey in financial years 2010-11 or 2011-12.

Members: Correspondence

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she plans to respond to the letters from the hon. Member for Basildon and Billericay of 14 November 2011, 15 December 2011 and 12 January 2012 regarding a constituent, Mr S. Judd.

James Brokenshire: holding answer, 23 February 2012
	I refer my hon. Friend to the letter of the Minister of State for Crime Prevention and Anti-Social Behaviour Reduction, my noble Friend Lord Henley, of 12 March 2012.
	A copy will be placed in the House Library.

Procurement

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of contracts issued by (a) her Department and (b) agencies for which she is responsible were awarded to small and medium-sized enterprises in the latest period for which figures are available.

Damian Green: holding answer 19 March 2012
	From April 2011 to January 2012, the Home Office and its Executive agencies have awarded 10% of total contracts let to small and medium-sized enterprises.

Remploy

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions her Department has had with Remploy on the procurement of goods.

Damian Green: The Home Office has held discussions with Remploy in relation to the procurement of specialist CBRN (chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear) equipment by the Home Office on behalf of the Police Service in England and Wales.

Remploy

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether her Department has procured any goods from Remploy factories; and what the value of any such procurement was.

Damian Green: Since 2004, the Home Office has procured goods to the value of £37 million from Remploy factories.

Smuggling: Tobacco

Stephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many staff in the UK Border Agency were assigned to implementing the tackling tobacco smuggling strategy in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12; and what estimate she has made of the expenditure incurred on salaries for full-time equivalent staff allocated to the tackling tobacco smuggling strategy in 2012-13.

Damian Green: Information on the number of staff assigned to implementing the tackling tobacco smuggling strategy in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12 and the estimated expenditure on the tackling tobacco smuggling strategy is not available.

Smuggling: Tobacco

Stephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the expenditure incurred by her Department on salaries for full-time equivalent staff allocated to the tackling tobacco smuggling strategy in 2009-10.

Damian Green: The UK Border Agency deployed an estimated 1,504 full-time equivalent staff to the tobacco strategy in 2009-10. Further and more detailed information on expenditure is not available.

Theft: Agriculture

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what support police are providing to farmers to prevent the theft of farming equipment;
	(2)  what discussions she has had with farming representatives to discuss the theft of farming equipment since May 2010.

James Brokenshire: The police work closely with rural communities and businesses through a number of local schemes, such as Farmwatch, to help to prevent the theft of farming equipment. At a national level, the Plant and Agricultural National Intelligence Unit co-ordinates the provision of police advice and intelligence on agricultural theft across the UK.
	Home Office Ministers have met a range of farming representatives to discuss crime issues, and in November 2011 the Minister for Policing and Criminal Justice, my right hon. Friend the Member for Arundel and South Downs (Nick Herbert), set out the Government's commitment to tackle rural crime at the Association of Chief Police Officers' Seminar on Rural Crime.

CABINET OFFICE

Alcoholic Drinks

Graham Brady: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what meetings (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department have had on minimum pricing for alcohol with (i) members of the beverage alcohol manufacturing industry, (ii) supermarkets, (iii) pubs and other members of the on-trade and (iv) members of health and other alcohol-related non-governmental organisations communities since September 2011.

Francis Maude: Details of ministerial meetings with external organisations are published on the Cabinet Office website at:
	http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/resource-library/ministerial-gifts-hospitality-travel-and-meetings-external-organisations
	Details of meetings by officials are not held centrally.

Government Departments: Procurement

John Mann: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office whether the Efficiency and Reform Group has issued tendering guidance to other Government departments on taking past contract performance of suppliers into account.

Francis Maude: The Government are undertaking an ambitious programme of reform to revolutionise public sector procurement, ending the short-sighted and risk averse approach taken in the past in order to secure a fairer deal for taxpayers.
	The Public Contracts Regulations 2006 allow a public body to take into account the "skills, efficiency, experience and reliability" of a potential contractor, and we expect these factors to be considered for all central Government contracts. It is a matter for individual Departments to decide how best to achieve this in a way that ensures the general obligations of fairness and equal and objective treatment, required under the EU directive, still apply.

Information Commissioner

David Blunkett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many appeals his Department has made to an information tribunal contesting a decision notice of the Information Commissioner in the last 12 months.

Francis Maude: Five.

McKinsey and Company

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much his Department paid to McKinsey and Company in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12; and if he will make a statement.

Francis Maude: As part of my Department's transparency programme, details of contracts above the value of £10,000 are published on Contracts Finder
	http://www.contractsfinder.co.uk
	and payments of over £25,000 are on
	http://www.data.gov.uk

Official Gifts: Minister without Portfolio

Kevan Jones: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  which countries the Minister without Portfolio has visited since May 2010; and what the cost to the public purse was of each such visit;
	(2)  how many times the Minister without Portfolio has visited Pakistan since May 2010 in an official capacity; what the cost of each such visit was; and under what budget headings such expenditure was made;
	(3)  what gifts the Minister without Portfolio has (a) received and (b) given since May 2010.

Francis Maude: Details of overseas ministerial visits and gifts valued at more than £140 are published on the Cabinet Office website at:
	http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/resource-library/ministerial-gifts-hospitality-travel-and-meetings-external-organisations

Official Hospitality: Minister without Portfolio

Kevan Jones: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what expenditure the Minister without Portfolio has incurred on entertainment in an official capacity since May 2010.

Francis Maude: The information requested has been provided in the following table.
	
		
			  Event Cost (£) 
			 11 March 2011 Diplomatic Breakfast 41.25 
			 13 June 2011 Buddhist Community Reception 81.35 
			 2 February 2012 Diplomatic Breakfast 32.31 
			  Total 154.91

Remploy

Ian Lucas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what discussions his Department has had with Remploy on the procurement of goods.

Francis Maude: Details of ministerial meetings with external organisations are published on the Cabinet Office website at:
	http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/resource-library/ministerial-gifts-hospitality-travel-and-meetings-external-organisations

Remploy

Ian Lucas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office whether his Department has procured any goods from Remploy factories; and what the value of any such procurements was.

Francis Maude: As part of my Department's transparency programme, details of contracts above the value of £10,000 are published on Contracts Finder
	http://www.contractsfinder.co.uk
	and payments of over £25,000 are on
	http://www.data.gov.uk

Visits Abroad: Minister without Portfolio

Kevan Jones: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office which constituencies the Minister without Portfolio has visited in her Ministerial capacity since May 2010; and what the cost of each such visit was.

Francis Maude: Details of visits by the Minister without portfolio and the cost to the public purse have been placed in the following table where the information is available. Information on the cost of visits prior to March 2011 is not available without incurring disproportionate cost.
	
		
			 Constituency Event Cost  (£) 
			 Bradford South Regional Cabinet n/a 
			 Oxford West and Abingdon To deliver a speech at the Anglican Bishops Conference n/a 
			 Twickenham To meet Holy Father at an Inter-faith event in Twickenham during the Papal visit. n/a 
			 Leeds East Corporate Social Responsibility and Big Society Visit to Harehills and Morrisons n/a 
			 Leicester South To deliver Sternberg Lecture at the University of Leicester n/a 
			 Derby South Regional Cabinet n/a 
			 Birmingham, Hall Green Joint Town Hall Event with the Deputy Prime Minister 0 
			 Hampstead and Kilburn Visit to JHub 0 
			 Suffolk Coastal and Norwich South Regional Cabinet and visit to Seetec 51.70 
			 Newcastle-under-Lyme To launch a community fire station 56.25 
			 Morley and Outwood Speakers for Schools 0 
			 York Central To deliver keynote Ebor lecture at York Minster 95.00

JUSTICE

Corruption: Private Sector

Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the extent to which the UK has implemented the provisions of EU Council Framework Decision 2003/568/JHA of 22 July 2003; and what assessment he has made of its effectiveness in tackling corruption.

Kenneth Clarke: The provisions of EU Council Framework Decision 2003/568/JHA of 22 July 2003 on combating corruption in the private sector have been implemented in UK law.
	The Government have not made any assessment of the effectiveness of the Framework Decision.

Courts: Teesside

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent discussions he has had with (a) magistrates and (b) members of the judiciary on the effects of budget reductions on HM Courts and Tribunals Service in Teesside.

Jonathan Djanogly: HMCTS regularly meets nationally and regionally with magistrates representative bodies and members of the judiciary to discuss any issues that may arise relating to the effective and efficient running of the courts and tribunals.

Culture, Practices and Ethics of the Press Inquiry

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what representations his Department has received from the US Department of Justice on the Leveson Inquiry.

Jonathan Djanogly: The Ministry of Justice has received no representations from the US Department of Justice on the Leveson Inquiry.

Employment Tribunals Service

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many employment tribunal cases concerned complaints in relation to service provision change in TUPE transfers; and how many appeals were granted by the Employment Appeal Tribunal concerning complaints in relation to service provision change in TUPE transfers in the last 10 years.

Jonathan Djanogly: Insofar as claims to the employment tribunals are concerned, HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) does not collate information centrally on complaints or appeals relating to TUPE transfers that are specifically about service provision change.
	HMCTS does, however, collate and publish on a quarterly and annual basis statistical data on the volume of employment tribunal receipts and disposals for jurisdictional complaints relating to the transfer of undertaking (failure to inform and consult). These data are available via the justice website.
	Equivalent data relating to the Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) are not published in the quarterly and annual statistical products. But, in relation to the EAT, HMCTS is able to collate data on appeals relating to TUPE, and since 2006-07 in relation to service provision change specifically.
	The table shows the number of successful appeals (i.e. where the outcome was either ‘Allowed’ or ‘Allowed-and-Remitted’) in the last full 10 financial years, plus the current financial year, where the main topic of the appeal is "Transfer of Undertakings"; and also for the last five full financial years and the current financial year where the main topic/sub-topic is "Transfer of Undertakings—Service Provision Change".
	These data are provided from management information, and are not quality assured in the way that HMCTS official statistics are.
	
		
			 Successful Appeals 
			 Financial year Transfer of Undertakings Transfer of Undertakings—Service Provision Change 
			 2001-02 7 n/a 
			 2002-03 5 n/a 
			 2003-04 13 n/a 
			 2004-05 5 n/a 
			 2005-06 5 n/a 
			 2006-07 6 0 
			 2007-08 3 0 
			 2008-09 5 0 
			 2009-10 3 0 
			 2010-11 4 0 
			 2011-12(1) 8 1 
			 n/a = Not available (1) To 15 March 2012. 
		
	
	The EAT does not record the employment tribunal jurisdiction of each appeal it receives. However, it does record the topic (i.e. the subject) of the main point of law appealed. This means that the EAT cannot identify appeals which arose from an employment tribunal (ET) claim where the jurisdiction in the ET was:
	"service provision change in TUPE transfers"
	but the grounds of appeal related to (for example) ET practice and procedures. Such appeals are therefore excluded from the table above. It would only be possible to add such information following a manual trawl of all relevant tribunal files (which in any case are destroyed after three years), and only at disproportionate cost. Before 2006-07 only the broad area of law (topic) was recorded, however from that year they were recorded in greater detail (topic and sub-topic).

Employment Tribunals Service

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many redundancy claims alleging failure to inform and consult concerned the issue of whether or not an employer should have consulted the appropriate representatives where he or she was dismissing (a) more than 20 people based at one establishment and (b) fewer than 20 people based at one establishment in the last five years.

Jonathan Djanogly: An application by an employee, their representative or trade union may be made to an employment tribunal for a protective award as a result of an employer's failure to consult over a redundancy situation. Statistical data are published quarterly and annually by HM Courts and Tribunals Service on the number of receipts and disposals in redundancy claims where there was an alleged failure to inform and consult.
	HM Courts and Tribunals Service does not collate information centrally about how many employees are based at relevant establishments wherever such applications are made. To the extent that such information is held, it could only be collated by trawling individual tribunal files manually where the case is still live, or by checking individual judgments on the Public Register where the case is dormant. Accordingly, it could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Employment Tribunals Service

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many discrimination claims before employment tribunals in the last five years were for (a) direct discrimination, (b) associative discrimination, (c) discrimination by perception, (d) indirect discrimination, (e) harassment or harassment by a third party and (f) victimisation.

Jonathan Djanogly: HM Courts and Tribunals Service does not collate centrally any of the information sought. It could be collated only by trawling individual tribunal files manually. Accordingly, it could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	Statistical data is published annually and quarterly, including on volumes of jurisdictional discrimination complaints received and disposed of, the manner of those disposals and (where the claimant was successful and compensation awarded) the level of compensation awarded under particular heads of discrimination. That information is available via the Justice website.

Employment Tribunals Service

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many equal pay claims before employment tribunals in the last five years were multiple claims.

Jonathan Djanogly: Table 1 as follows provides the number of equal pay claims accepted by the employment tribunal in the last five years which were multiple claims.
	
		
			 Table 1 
			 Financial year Claims accepted—multiples 
			 2006-07 39,000 
			 2007-08 55,200 
			 2008-09 39,500 
			 2009-10 34,300 
			 2010-11 33,500 
			 Source: ET Database

Information Commissioner

David Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many appeals his Department has made to an information tribunal contesting a decision notice of the Information Commissioner in the last 12 months.

Kenneth Clarke: Between 14 March 2011 and 14 March 2012 the Ministry of Justice has appealed one decision of the Information Commissioner to the First Tier Tribunal (Information Rights).

Lost Property

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what property has been lost or stolen from his Department in the last 12 months; and what the estimated cost was of replacement of such property.

Crispin Blunt: Information about property lost or stolen from the Ministry of Justice is collated centrally on a quarterly basis. Therefore details since 1 January 2012 are not yet available.
	The following items have been lost/stolen between 1 April-31 December 2011:
	16 desktop computers;
	23 BlackBerry devices;
	56 RSA secure ID tokens;
	14 BeCrypt encryption tokens;
	28 laptop computers; and
	23 items of removable media.
	Losses or theft of other equipment, such as mobile telephones and the cost of replacing individual items are not recorded centrally. This information is recorded locally and can be obtained only at a disproportionate cost.
	Details of loss or theft tram Prison service stores are not included in the figures above. This information is held locally and can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	The central record of this information does not differentiate which items have been lost and which have been stolen.

Magistrates: Translation Services

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 5 March 2012, Official Report, columns 534-5W, on magistrates: translation services, for what reason the full information requested was not supplied in that answer; and when he expects that his Department will announce what information it intends to publish.

Crispin Blunt: The Chief Statistician of the Ministry of Justice intends to publish these data as Official Statistics which will be produced in line with the Code of Practice for Official Statistics. It is his intention to release data by the end of May 2012. A publication date will be placed on the MoJ website once an exact date has been confirmed by the Chief Statistician.

McKinsey and Company

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much his Department paid to McKinsey and Company in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12; and if he will make a statement.

Kenneth Clarke: The Ministry of Justice has spent the following with McKinsey and Co. Inc. United Kingdom:
	
		
			  £ 
			 2010-11 32,875.00 
			 2011-12 (as at January 2012) 0

Prisons: Crimes of Violence

Ian Swales: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many cases of (a) arson and (b) assault there were by prison establishment in each of the last 10 years.

Crispin Blunt: The numbers of assault incidents by prison establishment are published in the annual Safety in Custody Statistics bulletin. Available figures, covering the period up to 2010 are shown in the following table. The figures for 2011 are due to be published in July 2012.
	Fire incidents are monitored and recorded locally in each prison. This information is held on central systems but data on arson by establishment have not yet been compiled for reporting. A new system for monitoring health and safety incidents, including those related to fire, was introduced in 2010. This will improve the range of central reporting available.
	
		
			 Table 1: Assaults by prison 
			  2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 
			 All prisons(1,2,3,4) 10,719 11,562 11,876 12,613 14,411 15,057 15,272 15,959 15,185 14,366 
			 Acklington 37 52 42 37 43 81 74 63 102 85 
			 Altcourse 202 218 213 239 243 235 280 198 242 321 
			 Ashfield 514 561 341 395 680 761 753 748 475 526 
			 Ashwell 16 9 11 15 17 14 20 20 12 11 
			 Ask ham Grange — — — — — — — — — 2 
			 Aylesbury 85 56 41 28 96 100 93 120 165 244 
			 Bedford 41 71 59 60 57 87 49 71 74 101 
			 Belmarsh 211 144 130 110 89 75 47 42 68 60 
			 Birmingham 151 151 165 224 203 200 189 172 160 154 
			 Blantyre House — — — — — — — — — — 
			 Blundeston 37 39 42 31 23 24 35 43 48 39 
			 Brinsford 351 331 356 360 364 197 204 352 166 51 
			 Bristol 142 165 113 149 126 129 89 109 90 86 
			 Brixton 107 206 175 178 123 80 108 115 136 143 
			 Bronzefield n/a n/a n/a 59 182 195 142 194 171 141 
			 Buckley Hall 44 59 110 98 90 75 49 36 24 44 
			 Bullingdon 59 83 63 52 78 70 92 110 106 128 
			 Bullwood Hall — — — — 31 22 13 17 7 21 
			 Bure n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a — 21 
			 Canterbury 10 14 14 16 19 17 24 38 36 39 
			 Cardiff 51 63 64 70 70 62 31 23 25 27 
			 Castington 404 425 370 443 412 406 431 462 457 159 
			 ChanningsWood 7 17 25 33 51 63 71 73 61 68 
			 Chelmsford 123 86 79 109 107 159 54 54 180 210 
			 Coldingley 8 — — 18 9 23 21 18 33 24 
			 Cookham Wood 15 11 27 13 — — 7 20 120 138 
			 Dartmoor 80 36 32 21 44 36 37 55 40 29 
			 Deerbolt 147 165 173 234 199 174 194 222 244 257 
			 Doncaster 98 120 67 102 127 194 160 213 484 165 
			 Dorchester 7 11 17 13 29 27 42 34 36 35 
			 Dovegate 17 76 105 158 104 125 99 60 69 141 
			 Dover 56 14 29 15 14 28 79 77 52 45 
			 Downview — 26 12 24 60 35 24 20 28 21 
			 Drake Hall — — 13 7 10 7 21 9 22 22 
			 Durham 81 91 99 115 136 194 186 185 154 170 
			 East Sutton Park — — — — — — — — — — 
			 Eastwood Park 17 22 42 43 73 76 23 16 16 35 
			 Edmunds Hill — — 56 52 34 40 29 26 38 46 
			 Erlestoke — 6 10 28 29 25 45 45 27 33 
			 Everthorpe 10 12 7 22 52 80 83 70 71 68 
			 Exeter 39 49 50 30 42 50 34 44 71 80 
			 Featherstone 33 78 60 76 81 79 109 112 80 66 
			 Feltham 466 549 674 751 698 596 544 648 713 772 
			 Ford — 8 — 27 22 10 10 13 — 6 
			 Forest Bank 300 349 377 479 525 397 247 262 267 218 
			 Foston Hall 23 46 37 34 40 51 56 23 31 20 
			 Frankland 30 28 27 35 37 36 53 54 64 91 
			 Full Sutton 35 16 34 40 57 63 61 72 64 61 
			 Garth 37 45 34 32 66 74 74 111 95 61 
			 Gartree — — — — 12 11 13 12 13 17 
			 Glen Parva 254 268 275 273 300 387 422 510 594 394 
			 Gloucester 61 68 53 68 54 72 55 69 83 56 
			 Grendon/Springhill — — — — — — 6 — 7 6 
			 Guys Marsh 61 45 47 54 47 72 90 85 69 66 
			 Haslar — — — — — — 8 17 11 5 
			 Haverigg 10 21 24 24 32 47 88 92 89 68 
			 Hewell 208 322 323 286 245 220 270 190 154 159 
			 High Down 87 148 151 178 143 206 185 258 180 156 
			 Highpoint 171 179 105 113 90 104 103 110 117 93 
			 Hindley 53 122 208 78 149 407 548 550 567 288 
			 Hollesley Bay 293 200 49 — — — — — — 1 
			 Holloway 180 202 197 188 183 235 224 219 107 55 
			 Holme House 76 85 110 89 116 123 145 114 130 133 
			 Hull 119 102 123 198 201 147 175 109 132 112 
		
	
	
		
			 Huntercombe 76 60 97 96 110 217 306 426 378 100 
			 IOW: Albany 7 — 8 15 — 8 6 — 16 22 
			 IOW: Camp Hill 37 55 80 60 66 61 67 87 53 70 
			 IOW: Parkhurst 33 26 53 56 52 36 23 20 24 51 
			 Isis n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 24 
			 Kennet n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 7 27 41 29 
			 Kingston — — — — — — — — 6 5 
			 Kirkham — — — — — — — — — — 
			 Kirklevington — — — — — — — — — 2 
			 Lancaster 19 14 11 8 12 13 22 16 10 8 
			 Lancaster Farms 270 152 27 213 484 428 397 347 286 274 
			 Latchmere House — — — — — — — — — — 
			 Leeds 163 156 237 178 147 123 111 100 105 102 
			 Leicester 76 89 72 60 50 70 41 50 64 60 
			 Lewes 113 106 126 72 84 92 82 156 111 91 
			 Leyhill — — — 6 7 7 7 — 7 3 
			 Lincoln 108 107 85 81 84 76 113 160 85 102 
			 Lindholme 10 23 65 49 46 50 73 80 58 55 
			 Littlehey 38 37 45 47 52 44 43 24 26 118 
			 Liverpool 113 136 155 160 154 187 258 259 231 217 
			 Long Lartin 14 24 22 21 54 52 58 39 40 54 
			 Low Newton 93 126 135 121 93 92 86 102 70 63 
			 Lowdham Grange 20 27 28 41 65 125 95 88 42 74 
			 Maidstone 13 19 16 26 17 12 26 19 18 17 
			 Manchester 176 262 289 262 222 241 209 219 233 175 
			 Moorland 194 199 161 47 114 107 106 110 92 93 
			 Moorland Open (Hatfield) 16 28 11 — 8 — — — — 2 
			 Morton Hall 6 12 14 19 12 20 13 9 20 18 
			 Mount 18 24 38 24 67 65 66 99 93 62 
			 New Hall 97 75 58 97 113 108 108 90 61 40 
			 North Sea Camp — — — 6 — 7 — — 10 8 
			 Northallerton 65 90 102 110 118 91 108 106 77 102 
			 Norwich 158 156 154 29 39 59 15 7 — 83 
			 Nottingham 55 76 83 108 93 80 133 115 110 140 
			 Onley 507 591 607 176 187 187 243 237 190 137 
			 Parc 133 229 297 294 303 295 374 445 444 396 
			 Pentonville 245 244 261 224 267 220 216 281 281 08 
			 Peterborough n/a n/a n/a n/a 180 370 338 295 282 340 
			 Portland 78 97 84 172 194 170 234 193 172 160 
			 Preston 44 35 89 87 103 109 151 166 147 129 
			 Ranby 26 50 48 22 35 69 59 95 94 91 
			 Reading 6 13 30 41 93 72 54 37 51 44 
			 Risley 26 61 82 140 137 136 135 135 75 88 
			 Rochester 62 38 67 120 102 113 80 173 223 246 
			 Rye Hill 51 30 40 79 119 114 110 50 28 78 
			 Send 13 6 9 — 19 14 9 17 12 18 
			 Sheppey: Elmley 101 116 110 127 165 120 156 165 128 133 
			 Sheppey: Standford Hill 6 — — — 7 6 — — 1 11 
			 Sheppey: Swaleside 53 64 44 45 42 52 61 71 77 68 
			 Shepton Mallet — 13 — — — — 6 — — 2 
			 Shrewsbury 45 38 58 46 56 36 46 46 29 20 
			 Stafford 19 23 38 52 74 61 90 72 71 89 
			 Stocken 37 48 50 43 52 51 69 73 53 68 
			 Stoke Heath 477 293 158 280 498 578 606 561 479 450 
			 Styal 34 22 16 41 39 72 104 59 34 45 
			 Sudbury — — — — — — — — — 1 
			 Swansea 8 15 24 20 24 36 20 29 29 29 
			 Swinfen Hall 85 135 119 101 114 99 101 99 64 103 
			 Thorn Cross 29 57 47 8 21 148 85 45 32 18 
			 Usk\Prescoed — — — — — — 12 16 — 9 
			 Verne 14 11 14 23 26 9 12 19 16 14 
			 Wakefield 24 18 17 28 36 32 32 48 35 49 
			 Wandsworth 135 135 130 163 166 107 133 96 127 145 
		
	
	
		
			 Warren Hill — — 106 183 291 314 371 383 321 350 
			 Wayland 20 33 76 61 63 58 69 76 68 81 
			 Wealstun 15 11 16 7 12 31 30 56 33 53 
			 Weare 25 59 63 61 27 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 Wellingborough 9 14 20 14 47 63 40 90 129 101 
			 Werrington 126 141 159 130 160 168 154 228 173 175 
			 Wetherby 40 50 189 492 568 465 393 432 418 470 
			 Whatton — — 10 6 — 12 28 33 27 13 
			 Whitemoor 56 52 34 34 40 34 54 47 41 41 
			 Winchester 32 59 80 73 59 45 31 32 60 65 
			 Wolds 73 67 38 54 28 40 53 58 38 41 
			 Woodhill 22 24 63 93 143 128 105 133 79 130 
			 Wormwood Scrubs 96 127 135 205 203 213 209 192 160 208 
			 Wymott 17 — 10 — 14 28 34 38 54 53 
			 Escort areas 233 154 167 191 132 184 143 38 144 128 
			 n/a = not applicable—prison not open ‘—’ indicates a figure less than six (1) Numbers less than six were not provided before 2009 so figures shown do not sum to the total. Figures for 2009 have been revised. (2) A new key performance indicator for serious assaults was introduced in 2003-04 and as a result reporting of all assault incidents improved. Reported incidents before 2005 are therefore not directly comparable with later figures. (3) As the numbers of assault incidents in each prison are relatively small, rises or falls from one year to the next are not a good indicator of underlying trends. (4) This table should be read in conjunction with table 16 which outlines some of the major changes to prisons. In addition to these changes some prisons may have opened new wings/ house blocks or closed others for refurbishment. Such changes often explain large increases or decreases from one year to the next at a prison. Data sources and quality: These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems. Care is taken when processing and analysing the returns but the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system. Although the figures are shown to the last individual the figures may not be accurate to that level.

Prisons: Drugs

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what rehabilitation programmes are offered to prisoners with drug addictions in prisons.

Crispin Blunt: A number of programmes have been developed by NOMS and other providers of service, designed to address the needs of offenders with drug addictions.
	Offenders who are identified as having a substance misuse issue can access amongst others the following programmes:
	Building Skills for Recovery (to be rolled out later this year),
	Prisoners Addressing Substance Related Offending (P-ASRO),
	P-ASRO for Women,
	Short Duration Programme (SDP),
	FOCUS Programme,
	Prisons Partnership 12 Step,
	Prisons Partnership Therapeutic Community Programme,
	Rehabilitation of Addicted Prisoners trust 12 Step programme,
	Bridges.
	In addition the Alcohol Related Violence and COVAID programmes address alcohol and related violence and RAPt also provide an accredited alcohol treatment programme.

Prisons: Drugs

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the total capacity is of each drug-free prison wing.

Crispin Blunt: The National Offender Management Service is committed to expand the provision of drug free wings and to assess the potential benefits which may be realised.
	There are currently six prisons involved in a pilot study for drug free wings. They are at an early stage in developing the shape of their wings and have yet to decide on their capacity.
	There are a number of prisons not in the pilot study that have developed their own framework for drug free wings but information on capacity is not held centrally.

Probation: Cambridgeshire

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people in (a) Peterborough constituency and (b) North West Cambridgeshire constituency are being managed under multi-agency public protection arrangements; and if he will make a statement.

Crispin Blunt: Data held centrally on offenders managed under Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) is at police force area level only. Constituency level data is not collected or held centrally; to provide this information now would incur disproportionate costs.
	The number of offenders managed in the Cambridgeshire MAPPA area as a whole on 31 March 2011 was 726. These data were published in Cambridgeshire's MAPPA report on 27 October 2011.
	A copy of this report is available on the MoJ website at the following address:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/downloads/publications/corporate-reports/Mappa/mappa-cambridgeshire-2011.pdf

Procurement

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what proportion of contracts issued by (a) his Department and (b) agencies for which he is responsible were rewarded to small and medium-sized enterprises in the latest period for which figures are available.

Crispin Blunt: The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has issued 697 contracts from April 2011 to February 2012, of which, 460 contracts where awarded to small and medium sized enterprises.
	The MoJ does not hold contracts issued by its agencies centrally. This information can be obtained only at a disproportionate cost to the Department, by a number of staff manually contacting and reviewing each agency.

Work Experience

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 4 May 2011, Official Report, column 798W, on departmental work experience, how many people (a) worked as an intern, (b) undertook a work experience placement and (c) worked as a volunteer in his Department in accordance with the hiring criteria set out in that answer in the last 12 months for which data are available; and how many such people were employed other than according to those criteria.

Jonathan Djanogly: In the answer of 4 May 2011, Official Report, column 798W, it was confirmed that the Ministry of Justice did not currently run its own scheme to offer work experience placements and internships to students. Consequently, there is no published guidance or hiring criteria available and no records are held centrally of the total number of persons undertaking unpaid work experience or as volunteers.
	However, the Ministry, as part of the Summer Diversity Internship Programme and the Whitehall Internship Programme, provided six placements in 2011 and plans to offer six placements in 2012.
	The Ministry is currently developing policy and guidance for work experience, work placements, graduate placements, internships and academic placements.

Written Questions: Government Responses

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when he plans to provide a substantive response to Questions (a) 95743, (b) 95744 and (c) 95745 tabled on 17 February 2012 for named day answer on 22 February 2012.

Crispin Blunt: A substantive response was sent to the hon. Member on 19 March.

Young Offenders: Sentencing

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what proportion of and how many (a) people, (b) women and (c) members of black and minority ethnic groups aged 18 to 24-years-old were on community and custodial sentences for a first-time offence in each year since 2008.

Crispin Blunt: The following table shows the number of offenders aged 18 to 24 who were sentenced to a community sentence or to immediate custody for an indictable offence and the number and proportion of these who had no previous convictions or cautions. The figures cover offenders sentenced between 2008 and 2010 in England and Wales as recorded on the Police National Computer. These are the latest available figures for a calendar year and are derived from the data used to produce table A7.12 in Criminal Justice System Statistics, England and Wales 2010. Equivalent figures for 2011 are not yet available.
	These figures have been drawn from the police's administrative IT system, the police national computer, which, as with any large scale recording system, is subject to possible errors with data entry and processing. The figures are provisional and subject to change as more information is recorded by the police.
	
		
			 Offenders aged 18 to 24 receiving an immediate custodial sentence or a community sentence for an indictable offence, by gender and ethnicity, and the proportion who were first time offenders, 2008 to 2010, England and Wales 
			 Number of offenders and percentages 
			  2008 2009 2010 
			 Community sentences    
			 Offenders aged 18 to 24 25,036 25,452 26,910 
			 Offenders aged 18 to 24 with no previous cautions or convictions 3,283 3,207 3,400 
			 Proportion of offenders aged 18 to 24 with no previous cautions or convictions (%) 13 13 13 
			     
			 Female offenders aged 18 to 24 3,612 3,626 3,754 
			 Female offenders aged 18 to 24 with no previous cautions or convictions 663 626 651 
			 Proportion of female offenders aged 18 to 24 with no previous cautions or convictions (%) 18 17 17 
			     
			 Black and minority ethnic offenders aged 18 to 24 3,786 3,795 4,028 
			 Black and minority ethnic offenders aged 18 to 24 with no previous cautions or convictions 705 667 727 
			 Proportion of black and minority ethnic offenders aged 18 to 24 with no previous cautions or convictions (%) 19 18 18 
			     
			 Immediate custodial sentences    
			 Offenders aged 18 to 24 28,592 28,238 25,955 
			 Offenders aged 18 to 24 with no previous cautions or convictions 2,335 2,242 2,023 
			 Proportion of offenders aged 18 to 24 with no previous cautions or convictions (%) 8 8 8 
			     
			 Female offenders aged 18 to 24 2,236 2,091 1,848 
			 Female offenders aged 18 to 24 with no previous cautions or convictions 297 301 259 
			 Proportion of female offenders aged 18 to 24 with no previous cautions or convictions (%) 13 14 14 
			     
			 Black and minority ethnic offenders aged 18 to 24 5,925 5,693 5,479 
			 Black and minority ethnic offenders aged 18 to 24 with no previous cautions or convictions 1,058 900 857 
			 Proportion of black and minority ethnic offenders aged 18 to 24 with no previous cautions or convictions (%) 18 16 16

Youth Custody: Per Capita Costs

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much the Youth Justice Board will pay on average per place in a (a) local authority secure children's home, (b) secure training centre and (c) young offender institution as of 2 April 2012; and if he will make a statement.

Crispin Blunt: The Youth Justice Board (YJB) are in the process of finalising agreements with providers of secure accommodation for the prices it will pay as of 1 April 2012. The average sector prices from 1 April 2011 are set out in the following table.
	
		
			 Service Average cost per place per year as of 1 April 2011  (£) (1) 
			 Secure Children's Homes (SCH) 211,000 
			 Secure Training Centres (STC) 170,000 
			 Young Offender Institutions 57,000 
			 (1) To the nearest £000. Notes: 1. These are costs to the YJB as at 1 April 2011. They are not intended to represent the total cost of providing custody and related services to young people. For example, they do not include YJB funding to NOMS Prisoner Escort Management (PEM) for the provision of Prison Escort and Custodial Services (PECS) for young people. They also do not include YJB funding for Reliance Escorts, who undertake movements for sentenced young people between courts and Secure Training Centres and Secure Children's Homes and for transfers between these sectors. 2. Advocacy Services funded by the YJB are included in STC and YOI costs, based upon a full year's budget allocation calculated using prices as at 1 April 2011. 3. For the YOI Sector price: (a) As at 1 April 2011, the YJB is working with NOMS to decommission young people's places at HMYOI Stoke Heath and 17 of the 26 places on the Rivendell Unit at HMP and YOI New Hall. The full costs for both these establishments have been used; (b) For public YOIs, the NOMS business rates, maintenance charges and capital charges have been estimated based upon 2009-10 levels and revised to reflect changes to the Youth Estate due to decommissioning since that time. The 2011-12 charges are currently being agreed by NOMS and the YJB; (c) YJB funding for the contract for Lucy Faithfull Foundation services is included; (d) YJB funding for the Juvenile Awareness Staff Programme (JASP) is included.

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Banks

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he has had discussions on the creation of regional banking system in the UK based on the model of the (a) Swiss cantonal banks and (b) German Sparkasse.

Mark Prisk: The Government are committed to a stable financial services sector which meets the need for small firms' access to finance. The Government actively consider the variety of financial systems in place across Europe, and BIS officials frequently meet with representatives from the devolved regions and other countries to discuss differing banking models and their relevance to the UK.

Business

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he has met the Federation of Small Businesses to consider its proposals for a Small Business Administration.

Mark Prisk: I regularly meet with the Federation of Small Businesses, both bilaterally and through the Small Business Economic Forum, to discuss a number of issues relevant to small businesses. While we have not specifically discussed recent calls for the creation of a Small Business Administration (SBA) to represent the interests of small businesses, we are aware of this proposal.
	We believe all Government Departments should understand and support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and as Minister of State for Business and Enterprise, I and officials in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills' Enterprise Directorate are responsible for promoting small businesses in Whitehall. In addition, the Prime Minister has appointed my right hon. and noble Friend Lord Young of Graffham to advise him on enterprise issues.

Business

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  what consideration he has given to establishing a Small Business Administration;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the work of the Small Business Administration in the US.

Mark Prisk: The Government are aware of the Federation of Small Businesses' recent calls for the creation of a Small Business Administration (SBA) to represent the interests of small businesses.
	We believe all Government Departments should understand and support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and as Minister for Business and Enterprise, I and officials in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills' Enterprise Directorate are responsible for promoting small businesses in Whitehall. In addition, the Prime Minister has appointed my noble Friend, Lord Young of Graffham, to advise him on enterprise issues.
	There are three main areas covered by the SBA in the US, namely: government-backed loans to strengthen access to capital for small businesses, the provision of business support and leading federal government's efforts to ensure that 23% of federal contracts go to small businesses. In the UK, we are already active in these areas. We have announced credit easing which will see £20 billion of Government guarantees utilised to increase the supply of affordable credit through the new National Loan Guarantee Scheme and we have extended the Enterprise Finance Guarantee (EFG) scheme until 2014/15, providing, subject to demand, over £2 billion of additional lending to viable SMEs. We have transformed the way we enable businesses to access the information, advice and guidance they need to start and grow their business including:
	an improved Business Link website:
	www.businesslink.gov.uk
	which includes a new Growth and Improvement Service, offering a range of business tools and an updated events management system; and My New Business, a comprehensive tailored start-up service providing online tools and training for those looking to start a business;
	a Business Link helpline:
	0845 600 9006
	which will support people who are unable to access the internet or have difficulty in doing so;
	a mentoring portal:
	www.mentorsme.co.uk
	(launched July 2011), provides a single point of access for those seeking mentoring and those seeking to be mentors across the UK. The site connects small businesses with mentoring organisations that can support and guide their development.
	And like the US, we have an aspiration that by May 2015, 25% of the value of Government contracts, both directly and via the supply chain, should be awarded to SMEs by removing the barriers faced by small businesses and eliminating complexities and waste in the process.
	In addition, the Government have taken action to reduce the burden of regulation on the smallest businesses at both a domestic and a European level, for example through the microbusiness regulatory moratorium announced in the Plan for Growth.

Business: Regulation

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent assessment he has made of the Regulatory Policy Committee traffic light system.

Mark Prisk: The operation of the Regulatory Policy Committee traffic light system is explained in the Committee's most recent report, ‘Improving Regulation’. The report is available at:
	http://regulatorypolicycommittee.independent.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/rpc-report-improving-regulation-march-2012-final.pdf

Business: Regulation

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent assessment he has made of the remit of the Regulatory Policy Committee in respect of the national minimum wage.

Mark Prisk: The Regulatory Policy Committee provides independent advice on the quality of analysis and evidence supporting all new regulatory and deregulatory proposals, including the national minimum wage.

Business: Regulation

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will commission a review of the regulatory architecture, including one-in one-out and the Regulatory Policy Committee.

Mark Prisk: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave to him on 9 February 2012, Official Report, columns 399-400W.

Business: Research

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what data is collected by his Department on the level of research, science and innovation in businesses in the UK.

David Willetts: holding answer 19 March 2012
	The Department for Business Innovation and Skills collects data on innovation in businesses through the UK Innovation Survey, which can be found on the BIS website. The Innovation survey is the main source of information on business innovation in the UK, carried out every two years since 2005, and every four years before then. It provides a regular snapshot of innovation inputs and outputs and the constraints faced by UK businesses in their innovation efforts, across the range of UK industries and business enterprises. First results from the next wave of the innovation survey, providing the UK data covering the period 2008-10, are due to be published in the coming months.
	Data on the levels of research in businesses are collected by the Office for National Statistics. The Business Enterprise Research and Development survey provides information on Research and Development (R&D) expenditure in the UK by business enterprises, R&D employment and sources of funds. The survey information is broken down into detailed product groups such as aerospace or pharmaceuticals to identify the destination of business expenditure on R&D. The latest figures for the survey were published in November 2011 and indicated that total R&D expenditure by UK businesses in 2010 was £16.1 billion.

Environment Protection: Industry

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he has any plans to update the low-carbon industrial strategy published in 2009.

Mark Prisk: The Government published Enabling the Transition to a Green Economy in August 2011, which sets out the policies we are using to support the transition to a green economy and the low carbon and environmental goods and services sector. This publication outlines the range of levers we are using to drive green growth, including the Green Investment Bank.

EU Trade

Mark Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what representations he has received on protectionism by (a) EU member states and (b) businesses in other member states.

Norman Lamb: We have not received any recent specific representations on protectionism but the issue does arise from time to time in European Council working group discussions and Trade and Competitiveness Council meetings. However, we are concerned that many barriers remain to a fully functioning single market and we are working with the European Commission and other member states to remove these. We recently had some conspicuous success with this in the January European Council conclusions. This, inevitably, is not a speedy process, but we are working to improve the governance process of the single market to ensure that directives, once transposed, are fully implemented on the ground.

Foreign Investment in UK: Israel

Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the number of Israeli companies investing in the UK. [R]

Mark Prisk: The Government estimate that over 250 Israeli companies are investing in the UK. Many have a physical presence (office, warehouse, service centre, plant) in the UK; they cover a wide spectrum of sectors, including pharmaceutical, ICT, mining, food processing and plastics manufacturing.

Higher Education

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what proportion of students receiving each level of degree classification were enrolled on courses at (a) higher education institutions, (b) further education colleges, (c) not-for-profit higher education providers, (d) for-profit higher education providers and (e) designated courses in the latest year for which figures are available.

David Willetts: The latest information on the class of degree achieved by students obtaining first degree qualifications at UK higher education institutions is shown in the table.
	
		
			 Class of degree achieved by students obtaining first degree qualifications (1 ) UK higher education institutions , a cademic year 2010/11 
			 Class of degree Number Percentage of total classified 
			 First class honours 53,215 15.5 
			 Upper second class honours 166,100 48.4 
			 Lower second class honours 99,210 28.9 
			 Third class honours / Pass 24,825 7.2 
			 Total classified 343,345 100.0 
			 Unclassified 25,540 — 
			 Classification not applicable 130 — 
			 Total 369,010 — 
			 (1) Covers students of all domiciles qualifying from full-time and part-time courses. Notes : Figures are based on a HESA qualifications obtained population and have been rounded up or down to the nearest five, so components may not sum to totals. Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) Student Record 
		
	
	More information on qualifiers at UK higher education institutions can be found at this link to the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) website:
	http://www.hesa.ac.uk/content/view/1897/239/
	Figures for the 2011/12 academic year will become available from HESA in January 2013.
	Equivalent degree classification information for students registered on degree courses at further education colleges is not available. Degree classification information is not categorised by not-for-profit and for-profit higher education providers; as such it is not available in this format.

Higher Education

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what mechanisms his Department has in place to monitor the quality of (a) provision and (b) teaching and learning available to students in for-profit and not-for-profit higher education providers.

David Willetts: The mechanisms in place to assure quality are not determined by profit status. Universities and other bodies with degree awarding powers are responsible for safeguarding the quality of their provision and teaching and learning, including the quality and standards of any privately funded provider whose awards they validate. The Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) checks how well individual higher education institutions meet their responsibilities for maintaining academic standards and quality. The QAA also assesses the way in which universities manage the quality and standards of their validating arrangements with other providers.
	The Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) has a statutory responsibility to provide for the assessment of the quality of education provided in institutions that it funds. HEFCE contracts with the QAA to conduct quality assessments on its behalf. The QAA publishes the findings of its institutional audits and reports annually to HEFCE on activity undertaken against contract.
	All institutional audit reports are available on the QAA's website.

Higher Education: Anti-Semitism

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent steps he has taken to protect Jewish students attending university from anti-Semitic attacks; and if he will make a statement. [R]

David Willetts: Anti-Semitism and intolerance have no place in our society and no place in higher education. Staff and students from all backgrounds, cultures and communities must be welcome in our higher education sector.
	The UK has in place one of the strongest legislative frameworks to protect people from harassment and abuse, and specifically racial or religious persecution. This framework provides protection to the Jewish community alongside other ethnic and religious groups. As independent organisations, higher education institutions are directly accountable for compliance with the law and hold the primary responsibility for ensuring that their staff and students are not subject to threatening or abusive behaviour on campus.
	In addition to legal requirements, institutions have access to a range of practical guidance to help them ensure fair treatment of their staff and students, and to help them deal effectively with instances of intolerance, racism and harassment in their institutions.
	The Government expect institutions to vigorously tackle intolerance on campus when it arises.
	I have met the Union of Jewish Students to discuss anti-Semitism in higher education and assured them that the Government continue to take this issue seriously, and expect universities to use the tools they have to tackle anti-Semitism.
	We have seen a fall in the number of incidents in higher education, from 44 in 2010 to 27 in 2011, according to the Community Security Trust. However, no incident is acceptable in higher education, or elsewhere.

Impact Assessments

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will take steps to ensure that all impact assessments are placed online in the impact assessment library.

Mark Prisk: Individual Departments are responsible for publishing impact assessments underpinning their policies in the impact assessment library. We have already reminded all Departments to identify and, where appropriate, publish impact assessments missing from the library.
	The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has published in the impact assessment library all its impact assessments that have cleared the Regulatory Policy Committee process and are listed in the three statements of new regulation.

Industry

Nadhim Zahawi: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many people applied to be a Make it in Great Britain Industry Champion; what criteria his Department used to select the (a) champions and (b) sectors the champions represent; how many champions have been involved individually in previous campaigns, initiatives or programmes by his Department; and how many of the businesses they work for have been involved in such campaigns, initiatives or programmes.

Mark Prisk: An open call was made to manufacturers and manufacturing stakeholders on 24 October 2011 to help find up to 30 Make it in Great Britain industry champions. In total we received around 120 nominations from all sources including third party and self-nominations.
	The first tranche of industry champions was announced at the launch of the Make it in Great Britain campaign on 15 November 2011. The remaining 23, bringing the total to 30 industry champions were announced at the manufacturing summit on 23 February 2012.
	The industry champions were selected from a broad cross section of UK manufacturing to support and personalise the communication of the campaign as experts and leaders in their field, from a range of businesses including: aerospace; automotive; bicycle manufacturing; ceramics; chemicals; clothing; construction electronics; engineering and precision engineering; food and drink; health care and prosthetics; marine; medical; motorsports; packaging; pharmaceuticals; plastics and software.
	A full list of the champions and the companies they represent can be found in the Press Release at
	http://nds.coi.gov.uk/content/Detail.aspx?ReleaselD=423400&NewsArea1D=2
	With respect to how many champions have been involved individually in previous campaigns, initiatives or programmes by this Department; and how many of the businesses they work for have been involved in such campaigns, initiatives or programmes, this was not considered as part of the selection process and this information can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Lost Property

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what property has been lost or stolen from his Department in the last 12 months; and what the estimated cost was of the replacement of such property.

Norman Lamb: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Employment Relations, Consumer and Postal Affairs to the hon. Member for Na h-Eileanan an Iar (Mr MacNeil) on 19 July 2011, Official Report, column 978W.
	All other items reported as lost or stolen are personal items including clothing, phones, glasses and rings. It is not possible to differentiate between lost or stolen items or to provide an estimated cost.

Mass Media

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what media monitoring services his Department has purchased in each of the last five years.

Norman Lamb: The information requested is as follows.
	
		
			 Central Press Office monitoring costs not including VAT 
			 £000 
			 Financial year 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 
			 Media Monitoring Unit (MMU) 60 72 77 77 66 
			 Cabinet Office Transcript costs (MMU) 10 12 22 24 5 
			 Press Cuttings(1) 255 229 245 275 114 
			 Access to The Times and Sunday Times Online — — — — 1 
			 Access to FT.Com — — — — 5 
			 Meltwater (One off trial) — — — — 3 
			 Total 325 313 344 376 194 
			 (1) Extra copyright costs incurred. 
		
	
	
		
			 Newspaper Licensing Authority (Digital Reproduction) 
			  £000 
			 2006-07 93 
			 2007-08 93 
			 2008-09 60 
			 2009-10 72 
			 2010-11 85

Overseas Trade: Israel

Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the value of bilateral trade between the UK and Israel was in 2011. [R]

Mark Prisk: The value of UK-Israel bilateral trade in goods in 2011 was £3.75 billion. Figures for services will not be available for 2011 until autumn 2012, but the value of bilateral trade in services for 2010 was £851 million.

Overseas Trade: Israel

Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the extent of the UK's bilateral trade with Israel. [R]

Mark Prisk: The Government regularly review the development of the UK's bilateral trade with Israel. Over the past 10 years, the value of bilateral trade in both directions has increased by 60% from £2.3 billion to over £3.7 billion. Over the last three years, it has increased by 75%, and over the last year, by 34%, reflecting the continuing strong state of the bilateral trading relationship. The Government are confident that both the volume and the value of bilateral trade between the UK and Israel will continue to grow in the years ahead.

Payments

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will introduce measures to better regulate the prepayments market as recommended in the Consumer Focus Report Pay Now, Pay Later.

Norman Lamb: The previous administration promised to reassess the regulatory framework for protecting consumer prepayments in light of Consumer Focus Report “Pay Now, Pay Later”. After considering a range of options to see what action would be sensible and practicable in the circumstances, they concluded that this was a very complex area with no straightforward solutions.
	The best option for protecting pre-payments is some form of set-aside or ring-fencing of funds to be used to compensate consumers in the event of an insolvency or some form of insurance with the same effect. However, this can impose significant cost on businesses and therefore raise prices for all consumers. Several industry sectors have concluded that the gains from increased consumer confidence outweigh these costs and have gone ahead with sector schemes on this basis. Government will continue to encourage high risk sectors to self-regulate on this basis.
	Government intervention by way of new regulation is fraught with risk. The cost to consumers may outweigh the benefits. The Government will, however, consider any evidence of particular high risk areas of concern which would lead to unacceptable consumer detriment or other economic damage.

Rare Earths: China

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what discussions he has had with the Chinese authorities on rare earth imports into the UK.

Mark Prisk: Trade is a European Union competence and all negotiations are undertaken by the European Commission on behalf of the member states. For this reason, Ministers in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills have had no direct discussions with the Chinese authorities on the substance of this issue.

Remploy

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether his Department has procured any goods from Remploy factories; and what the value of such procurements was.

Norman Lamb: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has no contracts with Remploy. Further information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Remploy

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what discussions his Department has had with Remploy on the procurement of goods.

Norman Lamb: The Commercial Directorate of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has had no discussions with Remploy in the current financial year (2011-12).

Science: Israel

Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what discussions he has had with his Israeli counterpart on increasing scientific collaboration. [R]

David Willetts: I met with the Israeli Minister for Trade, Science and the Environment, Minister Rabbi Professor Daniel Hershkowitz, and Israeli Chief Scientist, Ministry of Industry, Trade and Labour, Avi Hasson when I visited Israel in October 2011. Together with Minister Rabbi Professor Daniel Hershkowitz I announced the establishment of a new, joint fellowship exchange scheme to enhance collaboration between the countries in the area of regenerative medicine.

Students: Loans

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what mechanisms his Department has in place to limit the number of students who can be funded via the student loan scheme to study courses with for-profit and not-for-profit higher education providers.

David Willetts: Institutions funded by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) are subject to student number controls. Where those controls are exceeded grant can be clawed back to cover the excess costs of student support.
	Student number controls do not apply to those institutions that are not HEFCE funded. Generally, these courses are "specifically designated' on a course by course basis at the discretion of the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, the right hon. Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable). Institutions that wish to have a course specifically designated apply to the Student Loans Company (SLC). Applications for specific designation are assessed by the SLC against the course designation criteria in the Education (Student Support) Regulations which include course type, duration and mode of study. In addition all courses must be validated by a recognised UK awarding body such as a university.
	We set out in the White Paper ‘Students at the Heart of the System’ our intention to legislate, subject to parliamentary time, so that all providers which access student support funding would be subject to the same conditions, including reformed student number controls.

Work Experience

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 7 June 2011, Official Report, column 221W, on departmental work experience, how many people (a) worked as an intern, (b) undertook a work experience placement and (c) worked as a volunteer in his Department in accordance with the hiring criteria set out in that Answer in the last 12 months for which data are available; and how many such people were employed other than according to those criteria.

Norman Lamb: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills participated in the two week Civil Service Whitehall Internship Programme which was announced through the Social Mobility Strategy in April 2011. This programme provides Year 12 College level students with an opportunity to undertake a two week work experience placement in a Government Department. The programme is designed to increase professional experience and workplace skills and is aimed at students from under-represented backgrounds. The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills offered four internships on this programme in 2011 and will offer a similar number of placements for the 2012 intake.
	The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills also offers internships to graduates and undergraduates through the Summer Diversity Internship Programme (SDIP). The programme is aimed at black and minority ethnic university students and those from lower socio- economic groups and seeks to provide talented candidates with six to nine week training placements in Government Departments. BIS offered four internships across the Department in 2011.
	Since 1 June 2011, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has employed a further 47 interns through the Graduate Talent Pool.